Jalon Daniels did enough in his first NFL start to earn another one, but Todd Bowles also saw areas the rookie quarterback needs to clean up before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers face the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night.
Daniels completed 19 of 27 passes for 148 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in Tampa Bay's 17-14 loss to the Green Bay Packers. He added 55 rushing yards on eight carries as the Buccaneers fell to 0-4.
Bowles confirmed after the game that Daniels will remain the starter while Baker Mayfield recovers from his right thumb injury.
“Yeah, he'll be the quarterback Thursday night,” Bowles said. “He had some ups and he had some downs, but for his first time out there, he didn't panic, he didn't do anything. He escaped, used his legs
well at times. It's his first game – he's going to have some ups and downs.”
Both interceptions came in the first half. Evan Williams intercepted Daniels on Tampa Bay's second possession, and Edgerrin Cooper picked him off late in the second quarter. Green Bay scored 10 points off Tampa Bay's two turnovers.
Daniels responded in the fourth quarter. He escaped pressure and rolled left before finding Kenneth Gainwell for a 10-yard touchdown, cutting Green Bay's lead to 17-14. The Bucs eventually got the ball back with a chance to tie or win, but their final possession ended on a fourth-and-11 incompletion after Williams came free off the edge.
Daniels acknowledged after the game that he could have adjusted the protection before the snap.
“If I flip that and make sure that we're able to slide to him, he doesn't get free and I'm able to make a throw,” Daniels said.
Protection has been a problem for Tampa Bay with both quarterbacks. Daniels was sacked three times against Green Bay after Mayfield was sacked six times in the previous week's loss to Minnesota. Bowles said the responsibility doesn't always fall entirely on the offensive line when the defense sends more rushers than Tampa Bay can block.
“It's not entirely offensive line. I mean, sometimes [the defense has] an extra guy [rushing] and it's on the quarterback to get the ball out,” Bowles said. “It's on the receiver to make the right read and the hots [pass to an adjusted route] to be there.”
Daniels will have four days between his first and second NFL starts. Tampa Bay travels to AT&T Stadium to face a Dallas team that improved to 2-2 with a 34-30 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday.
The offense around Daniels also has room to improve. Tampa Bay finished with 275 total yards against Green Bay, while Emeka Egbuka received four targets despite playing 59 offensive snaps. Sean Tucker played only three offensive snaps, converting a fourth down and scoring a two-yard touchdown during that limited workload.
Bowles praised Daniels' composure and ability to create with his legs in his debut. Against Dallas, the rookie will have another opportunity to improve the protection adjustments and decisions against pressure that contributed to Tampa Bay's final possession ending without points.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: Todd Bowles reveals what Jalon Daniels must fix before Cowboys game
