Optimism was through the roof for the Washington Commanders heading into the 2024 season. Optimism enveloped the fanbase after sweeping changes to the franchise under their exciting new regime. Judging by their opening weekend loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to kick off the campaign, there’s still a lot of hard work to be done.

The Commanders were never really in the game after falling behind 13-0 early. Their defense couldn’t handle what the Buccaneers were throwing at them, and their offense looked disjointed at times. Not entirely unexpected given the personnel changes during the offseason, but it was a major reality check nonetheless.

This was not the start Dan Quinn had in mind. His team lacked execution in almost every phase and was second-best throughout. Adjustments will need to be made quickly before Washington opens its home game against the division rival New York Giants at Northwest Stadium in Week 2.

That’s for the not-too-distant future. For now, here are three winners and four losers from the Commanders’ Week 1 loss to the Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium.

Loser #1

Emmanuel Forbes Jr. – Commanders CB

Emmanuel Forbes Jr. was optimistic about his chances of bouncing back after a disastrous rookie campaign. General manager Adam Peters praised the cornerback for his development during the offseason. Fans took a more cautious approach, curious to see what the former first-round pick would do in a competitive environment before drawing conclusions.

Things weren’t going well for Forbes once again. He was slow in coverage early in the game and didn’t seem up to par physically despite building some muscle in the offseason. The Washington Commanders saw enough after the Mississippi State product was penalized twice on the same play, taking him out of the firing line in favor of Noah Igbinoghene.

Forbes returned in the second half but his performances were still poor and he was again benched. There were reports after the clash that he had to go to the x-ray room, so whether his great output was injury related remains to be seen.

This was another catastrophe for Forbes. His hopes were already hanging by a thread before this match. A huge effort is needed to cement his future status in Washington.