6 winners (and 3 losers) from Buccaneers 37-20 win over Commanders

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers did something on Sunday we haven't seen them do in a long time -- make winning look effortless.

Calm, cool, and collected, the Bucs stomped all over the Washington Commanders and looked confidently dominant in ways we haven't seen since Tom Brady was under center. It's starting to look like last season was throat clearing for what could be an even better year with Baker Mayfield running the show and the offense clicking in ways that should terrify the rest of the NFC.

Tampa Bay scored more points than it has since 2022, had three receivers go over 60 yards, and watched the run game finally wake up. The offensive line looked improved, Baker appeared right at home, and things were firing on all cylinders in a 37-20 ass-kicking of the Commanders.

It's just one game, and the road only gets harder from here, but the Bucs looked really good and fans can't be blamed for getting even more hyped about this team than they already were.

Winners and losers from Buccaneers Week 1 win over Commanders

Winner: Liam Coen

The Buccaneers scored 30 or more points just fives times over the last two regular seasons, but it took Liam Coen just one to hit that mark and thensome.

Coen called a brilliant game on Sunday, as the Bucs finished with 37 points and scored on five consecutive offensive drives to start the game. It wasn't until the waning minutes of the third quarter that Tampa Bay needed to punt the ball for the first time, which is not something we could say last year.

In fact, one of the things that held the team back was an inability to score points. It hampered the Bucs during their 1-6 losing streak and nearly ruined the season, but it seems this is an entirely different ball of wax. Coen has a small sample size, but his chemistry with Baker Mayfield was exactly as advertised. It's just one game, but he seems like a home run hire that will continue to evolve the offense to levels we haven't seen in quite some time.

Winner: Joe Tryon-Shoyinka

A lot has been made about how this is a make-or-break season for Joe Troyon-Shoyinka, and rightfully so. He's failed to live up to the hype of being a first round pick and has only shown marginal improvement over his first few seasons in the NFL. There's a reason the Bucs didn't pick up his fifth year option, and the ball is in his court to earn his keep.

He answered the bell in a big way on Sunday.

JTS finished the game with a pair of tackles but he also sacked Jayden Daniels and got in another quarterback hit. He was a pass rushing menace in ways we haven't seen before, and it's hopefully a sign of things to come.

Loser: Bucs secondary depth

It's hard not to feel like there was a bit of a loss embedded within the big win on Sunday. Tampa Bay's secondary took a major hit when Bryce Hall needed to be carted off the field with a dislocated right ankle and fractured fibula. His season is all but over, and the loss depletes and already thing cornerback group.

Making matters worse were injuries to Josh Hayes and Zyon McCollum, forcing the issue that the Bucs might need to look at free agent options to replenish some depth. Tyrek Funderburk and Kaevon Merriweather are internal options, and the Bucs could look at bringing back Keenan Isaac after the Panthers waived him, but something needs to happen.

The Bucs already didn't have a deep group at corner, and things are being tested in more than one way right out of the gate.

Loser: Rachaad White

There appears to be two versions of Rachaad White emerging from the cocoon of his formative seasons. He's proven to be diabolically dangerous in the pass game but has lacked any sort of power as a running back.

We saw that on display again in the season opener, as White mustered up just 31 yards on the ground to his 75 yards through the air.

Tampa Bay's offensive line looked improved from what it was last season, so White's struggles in the run game are a bit more troubling than they were a year ago. It's only one game, but the Bucs will need to start seeing more out of him on the ground if he's going to truly live up to they hype of being a Christian McCaffrey or Alvin Kamara type player in the offense.

Winner: Bucky Irving

Where White might have let the Bucs down in the run game, rookie Bucky Irving filled the gap -- litereally.

Irving was blazing through holes that the offensive line was opening up for him, finishing the game with 62 yards and avergaing almost seven yards per carry. That's the Wilt Chamberlain-esque given how poor the Bucs average yardage has been over the last few seasons and it's the breath of fresh air the team needed.

Perhaps the rise of Irving as a runner negates the struggles White is having. Skip Peete thrived in Dallas with Zeke Elliott and Tony Pollard providing two different styles of running to a successful offense, and he might have another ying-and-yang pairing with White and Irving.

Either way, the debut of Irving couldn't have been more exciting or set the stage any better for what could be an incredible rookie season.