Game Preview, Week 1: Washington at Buccaneers
September 6, 2024
by Steve Thomas
Welcome to week 1 of the 2024 season, everybody! It’s been a fairly quiet offseason for Washington, all things considered, which is a pretty big change for a franchise that has been mired in one controversy after another for a long time. The idea of focusing solely on football is new and not a bunch of nonsense . . . kind of great. This brings us to Washington’s week 1 matchup, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They are a team with talent that wants to continue to move up in the playoff team hierarchy. This means that this will be a pretty tough matchup for Washington, particularly on the road. Obviously fans want to see a win, but almost as important is for the team to function at a competent level in all phases of the game. That alone would be a major victory as compared to prior recent years. This particular will be a good challenge in that regard, particularly in pass defense. Will it happen? Can Washington get a win? We’ll see. Our game preview is below.
Game time & location: Sunday, September 8, 2024, 4:25 p.m. ET, Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL; Gates open 2:55 p.m. ET parking lots open 12:55 p.m.
Television: FOX
Television announcers: Kevin Kugler, Darryl Johnston, Laura Okmin
TV broadcast map: Click here
DC-area radio: BIG-100 (WBIG FM)
Washington radio network: Click here
Buccaneers radio network: Click here
Satellite radio: SiriusXM: 383 (Wash. broad.); 2276 (Tampa broad.); internet: 831
Washington roster: Click here
Washington depth chart: Click here
Buccaneers roster: Click here
Buccaneers depth chart: Click here
All-time head-to-head record vs Buccaneers: 12 – 10 (last 10: 5 – 5)
Last meeting: W, November 14, 2021, 29 – 19
Early odds: Tampa Bay, -3
3 KEYS TO THE GAME
Don’t start slow
This may sound a little simple, but we’re dealing with a team that has a new coach, new rookie quarterback, an underwhelming offensive line, and a secondary that’s lacking. Not to mention, the starters didn’t really play much during the preseason games. We’ve seen Washington start slowly, and at times outright embarrass themselves, in week 1 before. This year, they are facing a 2023 playoff team on the road. As a result, Washington needs to make even effort to be at peak performance right from the start, with as few week 1 jitters and mistakes as possible. Specifically, I’m looking for offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury to hold nothing back and let Daniels and company perform. Going with a stripped down offense isn’t going to go well this week.
Give Jayden Daniels time in the pocket
Last year, the Buccaneers were a heavy blitz team; in fact, they had the third-highest blitz percentage in the NFL and were in the top 10 in sacks. In contrast, as everyone knows, Washington’s offensive line is suspect, featuring a rookie left tackle who didn’t play at all in the preseason a poor performing right tackle, and a left guard that is questionable by starter standards. At LSU, Daniels had a habit of running when pressure comes, and he’s not known as a slider. Washington needs Daniels to be able to establish a quality passing game, with his running as a bonus. That’s going to go horribly wrong if the offensive line forces him to run for his life all day. To make matters worse, the 2023 Buccaneers featured one of the NFL’s best run defenses, so it seems unlikely that Washington will be able to establish much of a running game.
Steer the pass coverage towards Mike Evans
Evans is 6’5”, 231 pounds and a 5x Pro Bowler, and he had more than 1200 receiving yards, at 15.9 yards per reception, and 13 touchdowns last year. He’s a very dangerous and effective offensive weapon. Washington needs to not take the bait and decide to play Evans in one on one coverage. Instead, they should do themselves a favor and slant zone coverage over to him at all times. I realize that Tampa has other quality receivers, especially Chris Godwin, but Evans is a major problem and none of Washington’s corners are likely a match for him.
3 KEY MATCHUPS
Benjamin St-Juste vs Mike Evans
Mike Evans is 6’5” and on his way to a possible Hall of Fame career. Washington doesn’t have anyone even in the ballpark of being able to handle someone like that. Of Washington’s available options, though, St-Juste is the best choice. Washington needs to make an effort to never leave St-Juste on an island with Evans, because that has the potential to go horribly wrong. That having been said, though, this is still a critical matchup in this game, and Washington’s chances at a victory hinge in part on St-Juste’s ability to keep Evans somewhat in check.
Andrew Wylie vs Joe Tryon-Shoyinka
This may seem like a bit off the beaten path, but Wylie was a turnstile last year and Tampa Bay was one of the highest-blitzing teams in the league last year. Washington needs Wylie to make a dramatic step up and play well against Tryon-Shoyinka in the pass rush, since the team will want quarterback Jayden Daniels to start strong. Can this happen? Can Wylie do well? I suspect not.
I throw this matchup out here because, first, Cody Mauch is the player Washington should have drafted last year in round 1 instead of Emmanuel Forbes. As a result, this will probably be a high-profile interior line matchup. Second, Washington needs to put pressure on Tampa quarterback Baker Mayfield. Keep an eye out on how well Payne performs against Mauch.
OFFICIAL INJURY REPORT (as of Saturday (active roster only)) (starters in bold)
LP – limited practice FP – full practice DNP – did not practice
NIR – not injury related Q – questionable O – out
D – doubtful
| Washington | Buccaneers |
| QB M. Mariota, chest; Wed: LP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; Sat: to IR | DL L. Hall, foot; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O |
| DT Z. Newton, foot; Wed: LP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: LP; game: D | K C. McLaughlin, abdomen/illness; Wed: DNP; Thurs: FP |
| DT D. Payne, back; Wed: LP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | DL E. Brown, ribs; Wed: LP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: to IR |
| T T. Scott, knee; Wed: LP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | OLB Y. Diaby, ankle; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP |
| T B. Coleman, shoulder; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | LB S. Dennis, shoulder; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP |
| DE C. Ferrell, knee; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | CB T. Funderburk, foot; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP |
| OLB D. Fowler Jr., knee; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | DB J. Hayes, hip; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP |
| S K. Merriweather, knee; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | |
| WR T. Palmer, concussion; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP; game: Q | |
| LB J.J. Russell, ribs; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | |
| T J. Skule, abdomen; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | |
| OLB J. Tryon-Shoyinka, shoulder; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | |
| S J. Whitehead, quadriceps; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | |
| DL C. Kancey, calf; Wed: NL; Thurs: NL; Fri: LP; game: Q | |
| WR M. Evans, NIR (rest); Wed; NL; Thurs: NL; Fri: LP |
Steve’s Prediction
I think Washington will play fairly well to start off this new era, but at the end of the day, the Buccaneers are too good for Washington to prevail, especially on the road in Tampa. Washington makes a game of it but loses 24 – 17.