The Washington Commanders may have lost 37-20 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their season opener, but new quarterback Jayden Daniels made his official NFL debut.

The No. 2 overall pick was given a tough first test, going up against a tough Buccaneers defense. Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield put on a clinic, leading Tampa Bay to a 37-point game. It was too much for the LSU product, but he still got his feet wet against an aggressive defense.

Tampa Bay was consistent in sending extra defenders and pressure on Daniels, trying to overwhelm the rookie quarterback. How did the reigning Heisman winner handle the pressure? Did he see it coming?

“100 percent. I was actually — that’s a good defense against a good team, obviously with Todd Bowles calling it. But, you know, seeing it out there, being able to pick up the blitzes, when they’re coming, I was able to make a couple guys miss,” Daniels explained. “Looking forward, it just shows that, hey, this guy’s got a plan. He’s not going to go after that and not see anything or try to be an easy target or anything like that.”

READ MORE: Commanders’ Rookie Daniels Shows Promise in Loss

One of the biggest draws to Daniels’ game is his dual-threat ability. Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury led a team with Kyler Murray under center when he was head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. He has experience running an offense with a quarterback who has strong rushing ability.

Daniels used his legs to evade pressure, escape the pocket and either scramble or find a target. Nevertheless, the Commanders quarterback got a good look at a solid defense, which will be huge for him going forward.

Washington often had to play underneath the Buccaneers’ defense, which Daniels said was because Tampa Bay got back into their zones well.

“That’s what Tampa gave us. They did a good job of getting to their spots in their zone and forcing us to take things underneath,” Daniels said. “Obviously there were times where we had a spot. I missed Terry. One I wish I had back.”

As mentioned, the biggest takeaway from the game is that Daniels now has NFL experience, albeit very little, but still experience at the pro level. It’s a starting point for Washington’s quarterback to build on.

“It’s a long season, man,” Daniels continued. “We’re going to hit a few, but you know, Tampa did a good job with their scheme, especially in the second half — or both halves. We’re going to sit back and get into our positions and force this guy to beat us. I was patient enough to go out there and take the check-downs, man. And when we had a chance to take a shot deep, we had to hit them.”

Each week should see improvement from the young quarterback and the new Commanders offense, and Tampa Bay looked very solid in the game. Daniels completed 17 of his 24 passes for 184 yards, adding 88 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, and did so on 16 carries.

READ MORE: Commanders QB Jayden Daniels Reveals Thoughts After Debut

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