2024 NFL Picks, score predictions for Week 1

Washington Commanders @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Sunday, September 8, 4:25 PM ET

If you’re looking for the game that is most randomly placed in the late afternoon window, it’s got to be this one, right?

Even though the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won a playoff game last year, this matchup doesn’t strike as one of the more intriguing of the week, but that may only be personal preference.

At any rate, audiences are going to get a pretty good look at 2nd overall pick Jayden Daniels, the starting quarterback for the Washington Commanders in Week 1 after winning a Heisman earlier this year at LSU. Daniels is one of the most highly anticipated young quarterbacks in the league thanks to his outstanding dual-threat capabilities.

He is going to get a trial by fire going up against a veteran-laden Buccaneers defense with playmakers at all three levels and a head coach in Todd Bowles who shut down Jalen Hurts and the Eagles last season in the playoffs. 

On paper, this seems like a pretty brutal matchup for the Commanders, who are still a work in progress as an overall roster and franchise. There has been so much change in DC this offseason that it would be foolish to expect them to come out and just truck the Buccaneers right away, especially on the road. Still, the Bucs are only favored at home by 3.5 points, which feels a little surprising given how well they played at times last season.

Baker Mayfield got himself the bag this offseason from the Bucs after getting a shot there last season, and the Bucs have a lot of continuity on both sides of the ball. I think we’ll see that team come out swinging to start this season.

Prediction: Buccaneers win 27-17