“We’ve got to finish in the red zone; that’s the main thing we can take away from that,” Daniels said. “Extremely frustrating. We moved the ball efficiently down the field and, not to say anything, but to go out there and leave points on the field, man, we work so hard to get down there — we want touchdowns.”

Instead, they got flags. Five false-start penalties stalled drives and provided a reminder that this transformed offense with Daniels, a revamped line and new coordinator Kliff Kingsbury still has work to do to get on the same page.

“Luckily, those are things that we can control, so we can get that corrected,” said running back Austin Ekeler, one of more than 30 new players on Washington’s 53-man roster. “We will definitely be emphasizing that going forward. It’s the details of going through practice and saying: ‘Hey, we’ve been through this. We can’t be doing this to ourselves, especially in the red zone.”

The Commanders, who are 1-1 going into a matchup at 0-2 Cincinnati next Monday night, reached the 20-yard line seven times Sunday against the New York Giants and could not crack the end zone. Rookie tight end Ben Sinnott false-started on fourth-and-1 on their opening possession; right guard Sam Cosmi moved early twice and left guard Nick Allegretti and left tackle Cornelius Lucas once each.

Allegretti, who started in two of the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victories during his five seasons with Kansas City, said holdovers are usually able to provide tips on how a quarterback likes to do snap cadences at the line of scrimmage. That’s not a luxury this unit has.

“With such a new offensive line and a new quarterback, none of us have those prior experiences from the year before, so there’s a lot of stuff that we have to learn from,” Allegretti said.

New kicker Austin Seibert went 7 for 7 on field-goal attempts, the Giants lost kicker Graham Gano to injury on the opening kickoff and Washington won 21-18. But first-year coach Dan Quinn thought the penalties were the real story of the game.

“Those were things that we’ve got to be able to clean up,” Quinn said. “The combative ones, we’re going to continue to teach and go with. But pre- or post-snap, those are the ones that we’ve got to get out of our game, and so we’ll work hard to do that.”

What’s working: Finally, the kicking game. The Commanders signed Seibert last week to replace Cade York, who missed both of his field-goal attempts in a season-opening loss at Tampa Bay.

The 27-year-old Seibert, who has bounced around the league and spent training camp with the Jets, was good from 27, 45, 26, 27, 29, 33 and 30 yards out, the final one putting Washington ahead as the clock expired.

“To come in and make all of the field goals and to close the game out, just a special performance,” six-time All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner said.

What needs help: The fundamentals of tackling, for one, even though the defense showed some improvement by forcing a turnover and not falling apart late. It might have been a different story if Daniel Jones and the Giants could have played for field goals.

“We still have to clean up our tackling, still got to clean up some of our execution, but wins are hard to come by in this league, so we’ll take it,” Wagner said. “We’re professionals. There’s no excuses. We’ve just got to be better.”

Stock up: Receiver Noah Brown joined the team on Aug. 29 after being cut by Houston and immediately began working with Daniels to get up to speed. After sitting out Week 1 against the Buccaneers, Brown caught three passes from Daniels for 56 yards and looks like he could be a significant contributor moving forward.

“That’s what I expected out of myself,” said Brown, who had 115 receptions for 1,547 yards and five touchdowns in his first six pro seasons with the Cowboys and Texans.

Stock down: Terry McLaurin will bust out for a big game soon, but for all the offseason talk of Washington’s top receiver being Daniels’ favorite option in the passing game, it has not played out that way so far. Daniels, through two games, has thrown only 12 times to McLaurin, who has a total of eight catches for 39 yards.

McLaurin has surpassed 1,000 yards receiving in each of the past four seasons.

Injuries: The Commanders are so healthy, it is making for some tough lineup decisions. Linebacker Jamin Davis, a first-round pick in 2021, and safety Darrick Forrest, who emerged as a key player under the previous regime, were healthy scratches because Clelin Ferrell and Quan Martin were able to play after being listed as questionable.

Key number: Daniels was sacked five times by the Giants, including a few times he tried to scramble to make a play, but lost yards.

Next steps: Players get some extra time off before their prime-time visit to Joe Burrow and the Bengals, who opened as 7 1/2 point favorites on BetMGM Sportsbook.

Up next

Washington (1-1) at Cincinnati (0-2), 8:15 p.m. Monday (WVEC)

When it mattered most, Daniels got the job done and picked up his first win as an NFL quarterback, beating the New York Giants 21-18 Sunday thanks to a franchise-record seven field goals from new kicker Austin Seibert at newly named Northwest Stadium.

“I feel blessed,” Daniels said. “Can’t really complain. It wasn’t the prettiest game, but a win is a win.”

Daniels engineered the go-ahead, 65-yard drive in the final minutes to get the ball into the red zone, setting up Seibert’s 30-yard field goal that won it as the clock expired. Seibert’s 7-for-7 performance came days after he replaced Cade York, who missed both of his attempts in the season opener.

“I guess that’s a great way to kind of welcome myself to the team and win a football game, so I’m happy with it,” said Seibert, who was good from 27, 45, 26, 27, 29, 33 and 30 yards. “No reason to make it bigger than it is. Just go out there and do what I do.”

The Commanders (1-1) came back to win an ugly game after the Giants lost kicker Graham Gano to an injury on the opening kickoff. Not having Gano prompted New York (0-2) to go for it on several fourth-down situations after punter Jamie Gillan missed an extra-point attempt early.

Gano, who said it was unrelated to the sore groin that landed him on the injury report, said his hamstring “doesn’t feel good.”

Daniels was 23 of 29 for 226 yards and rushed for 44 in his second professional start, beating former LSU teammate and fellow top-10 pick Malik Nabers in their first matchup in the league. Nabers was the Giants’ best player, with 10 catches for 127 yards and his first career TD reception.

“He did his thing, which I kind of expected, just knowing him,” Daniels said after swapping jerseys with Nabers. “He got my first-win jersey and I got his first 100-yard game. That’s going to mean a lot to both of us.”

Nabers was targeted 18 times by Daniel Jones, who after a rough Week 1 was a respectable 16 of 28 for 178 yards and two touchdown passes. Nabers dropped a fourth-down pass from Jones, which turned the ball over on downs.

“I’m disappointed,” Nabers said. “No matter how good of a game you can play, that last play came down to me. I’m hurt that I let those veterans down.”

The Commanders overcame going 0 for 6 in the red zone. They made seven trips inside the New York 25, but multiple false-start penalties derailed drives.

“You can’t have that,” left guard Nick Allegretti said. “But with such a new team, those things will happen. We’ve got to cut them down.”

Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. carried the ball 17 times for a career-high 133 yards. He also made the two longest runs of his pro career: 32 yards in the first half and 40 in the second.

“Great start for me so I can gain the momentum that I need,” Robinson said. “I’m thankful for the opportunities. It’s been a while since I got 17 (carries) in one game, too, so I appreciate all that love from my coaches, and I expect to keep building off of that.”

Ertz’s milestone: Washington’s Zach Ertz became the 12th tight end in NFL history to surpass 7,500 yards receiving. The 33-year-old veteran made four catches for 62 yards as one of Daniels’ most popular targets.

Injuries: Nabers was cleared after being checked for a concussion late in the first quarter following a big hit from Washington’s Frankie Luvu. … Giants cornerback Dru Phillips was also evaluated for a concussion and cleared late in the game.

Next

Giants: Visit Cleveland next Sunday.

Commanders: Visit Cincinnati on Monday, Sept. 23.

It could not have gone much worse. He also could not have picked a better opponent to bounce back against.

Jones and the Giants visit the Commanders, also 0-1, with major questions on defense and a history of struggling against New York’s much-maligned quarterback. Jones has dominated Washington his entire NFL career, and Sunday is the next chance for “Danny Dimes” to get his mojo back.

“Everybody here is rallying around Daniel,” left guard Jon Runyan said. “He’s in there, he’s grinding. He’s in the weight room, and he’s going to get this thing right. I know it, and I think we all trust and believe that he will.”

Jones has beaten Washington, with three different team names, since getting drafted sixth in 2019. He’s 5-1-1 with 11 touchdowns (10 passing), three interceptions, 1,510 yards in the air and 324 more on the ground.

Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner brushed that off because he was not around for any of those games, and he is one of six new starters on defense. But that doesn’t mean he and his teammates are underestimating Jones after a brutal Week 1 performance.

“He does a really good job using his feet, creating plays,” Wagner said. “That’s what makes it hard. I think when he has time, he makes really good throws, and so our job is to not give him time. When you let him get some time and use his legs, he can be dangerous.”

Dan Quinn, who coached against Jones plenty as the Dallas Cowboys’ defensive coordinator the past three years, said the 27-year-old’s ability to extend plays beyond the normal 2.3-second throwing window is also a factor.

“He’s got speed and athleticism,” Quinn said. “He remains a runner, where some QBs would go and get down or get out bounds. So he remains in that space and really has confidence in his running ability, which he should.”

The other QB

Washington rookie Jayden Daniels had a respectable NFL debut, completing 17 of 24 passes for 184 yards and rushing for 88 yards. Quinn would like to see Daniels cut down on the runs from 16 at Tampa Bay, but that — like a lot of things — will come with experience, and the No. 2 pick out of LSU has bought into his first few games being a learning experience.

“I could grow in every aspect of my game,” Daniels said. “You watch the tape (and realize) it’s never as good as you thought it was, it’s never as bad as you thought it was, so you just move on.”

Manageable situations

There was a reason the Giants scored a league-low six points in the season opener. They didn’t play well on first down and hurt their chances of maintaining drives by losing 39 yards because of penalties.

Three of their five first-half drives featured second- and third-down plays of more than 13 yards. The longest of their 11 first-down plays in the first half was 7 yards. Most were 4 or less.

There was some improvement in the second half, but by that time the Vikings led 28-6.

Forbes out

Commanders cornerback Emmanuel Forbes is scheduled to have surgery to repair a torn ligament in his right thumb, according to a person with knowledge of the decision. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because the team had not announced the plan.

Forbes said Wednesday he initially planned to play Sunday.

Washington’s defensive problem

The Commanders got carved up by Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers in Week 1, allowing 392 yards and 37 points. That is not sustainable, and they know it.

“A lot of guys are feeling like we didn’t perform the way we wanted to perform,” Wagner said. “Just want to communicate better, want to be flying around, make more plays and just get off the field.”

Giants pressure

The question mark for the Giants’ defense has been its young secondary. New York lost safety Xavier McKinney to Green Bay in free agency and didn’t re-sign cornerback Adoree’ Jackson until just before the season opener. It left Jason Pinnock, Dane Belton and rookie Tyler Nubin at safety and Cor’Dale Flott, Deonte Banks and rookie Dru Phillips at cornerback.

The hope was the combination of defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and edge rushers Kayvon Thibodeaux and Brian Burns would pressure opposing quarterbacks and help the secondary. It didn’t happen against Minnesota, as Lawrence had the team’s only sack, Thibodeaux had a pressure and no tackles and Burns had four tackles and nothing else. They need to be better.

TODAY’S GAME

New York Giants (0-1) at Washington (0-1)

1 p.m. (WVBT)

BetMGM NFL odds: Commanders by 1½

Key matchup: Giants’ defense vs. the Commanders’ offensive line. Brian Burns and Thibodeaux were hardly difference-makers against Minnesota, and Washington is motivated to keep rookie QB Jayden Daniels upright and healthy. Daniels is expected to run less and stay in the pocket more, so there will be extra opportunities for New York to force the issue and more time for the offensive line to block.

Key injuries: Giants returner Gunner Olszewski is dealing with a groin injury. … WR Darius Slayton is in concussion protocol. … CB Nick McCloud and rookie LB Darius Muasau are day-to-day with knee injuries. … Commanders CB Emmanuel Forbes is expected to be out with with a thumb injury. … Commanders rookie DT Johnny Newton could make his NFL debut after missing Week 1 following offseason foot surgery.

“You don’t want to get hit by 300-pound-plus people,” he said Wednesday. “It’s like just an instinct. That clock in your head is like, ‘All right, it’s time to go.’ ”

Daniels ran the ball 16 times in his NFL debut, rushing for 88 yards and two touchdowns in the Washington Commanders’ season-opening loss at Tampa Bay. The coaching staff would certainly like to see their rookie quarterback and new face of the franchise tone that down moving forward.

“We’d love to see him remain a passer first, and I think it’s going to come with more experience,” coach Dan Quinn said. “(Sixteen) carries is not the model that we’re looking for. … I do think we’ll continue to grow in that spot, but (it is) certainly not by design to have that many.”

Daniels, the No. 2 pick out of LSU after winning the Heisman Trophy last season, is one of the top prospects in the league largely because of what he can do with his legs along with his right arm. Still, his 16 carries matched Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson for the most of any quarterback in Week 1 and were more than Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts or Pittsburgh’s Justin Fields, who are not as new to the pros.

Retired QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, who ran 574 times during his playing career, expressed caution and compared the situation to Anthony Richardson injuring his right shoulder last year as a rookie with Indianapolis, leading to season-ending surgery.

“As we saw with Anthony Richardson last year, it’s exciting until it’s not, until there is an injury. And these are big boys out there in the NFL, so he’s going to have to learn how to manage that a little bit,” Fitzpatrick said on a video call. “They’re going to have to figure out the right balance because he is and has already shown he’s one of the top, probably, three or four runners at the quarterback position in the NFL, and it’s a big weapon and it causes a lot of problems for defenses.”

Quinn as a defensive coach said having a dual-threat quarterback “creates a headache — one that I am more than happy to be a part of creating.”

In the same vein, he wants Daniels — who completed 17 of 24 passes for 184 yards — to keep opponents guessing.

“Let a route develop or the option of checking it down to somebody else,” Quinn said. “The great thing about him is it is our first game, and he’s going to be an exceptional player. Are there choices, when to go, when to not? You do have to grow and learn into those, and I am 100% certain that he will.”

Fellow rookie Luke McCaffrey, now a wide receiver after converting from quarterback in college, trusts Daniels to know when to pass and when to run.

“At the end of the day, the quarterback always is the one that sees the field and knows it,” McCaffrey said. “There’s always a fine balance. I think it’s such a valuable weapon when you look at a quarterback, something that can help get an offense started, help spark it and help it be more efficient, too.”

Fitzgerald pointed to Jackson as a good example of a QB figuring out how to run often, but avoid significant contact and injuries.

Two-time All-Pro left tackle-turned-Amazon analyst Andrew Whitworth — who recalled yelling at Fitzgerald to get down when they were teammates — praised Daniels’ “special ability” with the caveat of not wanting him to get hurt as Richardson did.

“Seeing Jayden and knowing him, I think he’s going to be very similar to Lamar’s style,” Whitworth said. “We know they’re fast and athletic, the guys that like to do it a lot, but it’s really the art of, do they know how to avoid hits?”

Daniels and the Commanders host the New York Giants on Sunday in a matchup of 0-1 NFC East rivals.

Notes: Cornerback Emmanuel Forbes had his right thumb wrapped at practice after getting it banged up in the season opener, but the second-year pro said the plan is for him to play against the Giants. … Rookie DT Johnny Newton could play despite again not practicing Wednesday because of a foot injury.

Next up: The Commanders’ defense should get a break this week against Giants whipping boy Daniel Jones. Then again, Dan Quinn’s crack unit is coming off a game in which it helped turn Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield into an MVP candidate.

Future watch: Saturday at ODU, Virginia Tech will be another ACC team trying to protect its conference’s football reputation. Or what’s left of it after N.C. State’s 51-10 mortification against Tennessee.

In a shell: Not surprisingly, Tom Brady’s halting Fox game-day debut wasn’t well-received. He’ll improve. It would be more fun from an entertainment standpoint, though, if the GOAT stepped out from behind his stiff, respectful façade to rain hell on the bungling play of mere mortal quarterbacks. But then, I’m a dreamer.

A leg up: In Week 1, NFL kickers went 21 for 23 on field-goal attempts of 50 or more yards. Good for the kickers, bad for the game and its audience. Time to narrow the goal posts, lest the sidewinders assume even more of center stage.

On the upswing: Football fans younger than the generations still reading newspapers may not be aware of the years of racial discrimination faced by African American quarterbacks. Why should they be when a record 15 Black QBs started the NFL season?

Rush job: In the season’s first “Sunday Night Football” game, NBC magpie Cris Collinsworth set the land-speed record for obnoxious premature hyperbole when he said that a Matthew Stafford pass “may be the throw of the year.”

In passing: The NFL’s new way of handling kickoffs is a reminder that some things are best left alone.

Idle thought: Bill Belichick will be an NFL head coach again in 2025. Best guess, for the Giants.

Quick hit: I could do with a little less from the Kelce brothers.

Done for: In college football, there are losses that all by themselves should disqualify a school from College Football Playoff contention. Notre Dame’s loss to Northern Illinois is one of them.

Italian stallion: U.S. Open champ Jannik Sinner is 55-5 in matches this year. Yes, that’s as impressive as it looks.

A discussion: As he moves closer to a 50-homer, 50-stolen-base season, Shohei Ohtani is set to break a barrier by becoming the first DH who didn’t pitch to win MVP honors. There’s been reasonable pushback on this from supporters of Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, who argue that a two-way player is more valuable. But 50-50 is a tough act to beat.

Update: By the way, the Mets have baseball’s best record since the start of June.

Musical chairs: A reconstituted Pac-12 with schools coming over from the Mountain West should restore some order to West Coast sports. Now if only there were a way for Stanford and Cal to escape their ACC contract and return to where they belong.

Bob Molinaro is a former Virginian-Pilot sports columnist. His Weekly Briefing runs Fridays in The Pilot and Daily Press. He can be reached at bob5molinaro@gmail.com and via Twitter@BobMolinaro.

Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers scored 37 points — the second most in the NFL in Week 1 — and racked up 392 yards. The pass rush created some early pressure, but sacked Mayfield only once, and the secondary struggled as a result.

“If you (have) a 50/50 contested ball and they go up and get it, that’s football,” coach Dan Quinn said on a video call with reporters Monday. “What I do want to see better from us is our pre- and post-snap communication, and there were a few instances where that wasn’t as strong as it needs to be.”

Six of the 11 defensive starters are new, but Quinn did not want to use the overhaul and lack of continuity as an excuse, noting that months of work have gone into preparing for this. A 37-20 season-opening loss was not what he and his staff had in mind over that time.

“Those are the moments that you do have to be in and fight through it because when you’re in it, in that moment and it doesn’t go your way, you stand taller, you fight stronger,” Quinn said. “Sometimes you have to go through the other end of that fire.”

A visit Sunday by the offensively challenged New York Giants is the next chance for the unit to show some improvement.

What’s working: Daniels was a respectable 17 of 24 for 184 passing yards in his pro debut, which got better after a wayward backward pass on Washington’s first offensive play turned into a loss of 15 yards. He did lead the team with 88 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Veteran offensive lineman Sam Cosmi credited Daniels for showing poise throughout.

“I grade myself hard,” Daniels said. “We didn’t win. I’m a competitor. I like to win, but overall it went well — pretty well.”

What needs help: The Commanders already are making a change at kicker, releasing Cade York after he missed his two field-goal attempts, wide right from 47 and 56 yards. They will not send a conditional seventh-round pick to Cleveland as part of the trade to get York from the Browns because he did not last at least two games.

“It’s certainly not ideal,” Quinn said. “But I think it does speak to (the idea of) if it’s not right, you don’t sit pat.”

Washington is signing kicker Austin Seibert to replace York, according to a person with knowledge of the move. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced the deal.

Seibert, 27, spent training camp with the New York Jets. The Oklahoma product has made 45 of 56 field-goal attempts in the league since 2019 and becomes the sixth kicker on the Commanders’ roster since January after Joey Slye, Brandon McManus, Ramiz Ahmed, Riley Patterson and York.

Stock up: Running backs Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson Jr. combined to catch seven passes for 101 yards. They were the team’s top two receivers.

“It makes you defend the whole field,” Quinn said. “The running backs in the passing game were two of the people that I thought stood out on a tough day.”

Stock down: Cornerback Benjamin St-Juste was on the wrong side of a couple of big Buccaneers catches. While some of that was due to Mike Evans being one of the best receivers in football, the Commanders expect better from St-Juste moving forward.

“That’s one of the things that I really do admire about him: the ability to self-correct,” Quinn said. “For all of us, that’s important, but as a ballplayer knowing what to do and how to fix something, that’s critical.”

Injuries: Quinn hopes to have rookie defensive tackle Johnny Newton available sooner than later. The second-round pick out of Illinois is working his way back from offseason foot surgery.

Key number: Tampa bay had nine third-down conversions on 13 attempts, a success rate of 69.2%. No defense was worse on third down in Week 1.

Next steps: The Commanders are 2 1/2-point favorites on BetMGM Sportsbook in their home opener, but thinking the Giants are beatable would be foolish even after New York got blown out 28-6 by Minnesota. Daniel Jones is 5-1-1 in his career against Washington with 11 touchdowns (10 passing) and just three interceptions.

Daniels was more effective running the ball than passing, scoring a pair of rushing TDs for Washington. The Commanders are aiming for a fresh start with the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback, Dan Quinn as the coach and Kliff Kingsbury and Joe Whitt Jr. running the offense and defense, respectively.

The former LSU star was one of three rookie starting quarterbacks in Week 1, along with No. 1 pick Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears and 12th pick Bo Nix of the Denver Broncos. Daniels joined Robert Griffin III (2012) as the only rookies to start a season opener for Washington since 1967.

Mayfield jump-started a fizzling career last season, signing a one-year contract with the Buccaneers and winning Tom Brady’s old job before leading Tampa Bay to a third consecutive NFC South title and a playoff victory.

The 2017 Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall pick from the following year’s draft was rewarded in the offseason with a three-year, $100 million contract that answered any lingering questions about whether the Bucs considered him the QB to lead them forward.

Mayfield completed 24 of 30 passes without an interception Sunday, including TD throws of 1 and 17 yards to Mike Evans. Chris Goodwin scored on a 4-yard reception, and rookie Jalen McMillan had a 32-yard TD catch in the second half.

Daniels scored on a pair of 1-yard runs after halftime, the last one coming with just less than two minutes left. He finished with 88 yards on 16 rushes and completed 17 of 24 passes for 184 yards and no interceptions. The Bucs sacked him twice.

Injuries

The Buccaneers played without starting defensive linemen Calijah Kancey (calf) and Logan Hall (foot), who were inactive. Cornerback McCullum (concussion) left the game in the first quarter and did not return. … Former Virginia cornerback Bryce Hall (right ankle) was carted off the field early in the third quarter. Reserve cornerback Josh Hayes (ankle) also was ruled out in the second half.

Next

Commanders: Host the NFC East rival New York Giants next Sunday.

Buccaneers: At Detroit next Sunday. The Lions eliminated Tampa Bay in the divisional round of the playoffs last season.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kendrick Lamar will pop out on the NFL’s biggest stage next year: The Grammy winner will headline the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show in New Orleans.

The NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation announced Sunday that Lamar would lead the halftime festivities from the Caesars Superdome on Feb. 9. The rap megastar, who has won 17 Grammys, said he’s looking forward to bringing hip-hop to the NFL’s championship game, where he performed as a guest artist with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cent and Eminem in 2022.

“Rap music is still the most impactful genre to date,” Lamar said in a statement. “And I’ll be there to remind the world why. They got the right one.”

Lamar, 37, has experienced massive success since his debut album “good kid, m.A.A.d city” in 2012. Since then, he’s accumulated 17 Grammy wins and became the first non-classical, non-jazz musician to win a Pulitzer Prize for his 2017 album “DAMN.”

The rapper’s latest album “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers” was released in 2022. He was featured on the song “Like That” with Future and Metro Boomin on a track that spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this year. He also scored another hit with “Not Like Us.”

In 2016, Lamar gave a stunning seven-minute performance of tracks such as “The Blacker the Berry” and “Alright” at the 58th Grammy Awards. Lamar dazzled as an opener two years later at the Grammys with a performance of “XXX.”

In June, Lamar turned his Juneteenth “Pop Out” concert into a celebration of Los Angeles unity. It came on the heels of his rap battle with Drake during the three-hour concert featuring a mix of p-and-coming LA rappers and stars including Tyler, The Creator, Steve Lacy and YG.

Roc Nation founder Jay-Z called Lamar a “once-in-a-generation” artist and performer.

“His deep love for hip-hop and culture informs his artistic vision,” Jay-Z said. “He has an unparalleled ability to define and influence culture globally. Kendrick’s work transcends music, and his impact will be felt for years to come.”

Roc Nation and Emmy-winning producer Jesse Collins will serve as co-executive producers of the halftime show. The creative direction of Lamar’s performance will be provided by pgLang, a creative company founded by Lamar and Dave Free — who has previously directed the rapper’s music videos.

“Time and time again, Kendrick has proven his unique ability to craft moments that resonate, redefine, and ultimately shake the very foundation of hip-hop,” said Seth Dudowsky, the head of music at the NFL.

Last year, Usher shined with a star-studded show with guests including H.E.R., Jermaine Dupri, Lil Jon, Ludacris and Alicia Keys.

“The Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show is a celebration of the music we love and the incredible artists who make it, all on the world’s biggest stage,” said Oliver Schusser, the vice president of Apple Music and Beats.

The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner and No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft faces the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on the road Sunday as part of a much-anticipated fresh start for the Washington Commanders.

“It’s going to be a challenge, obviously,” said Daniels, who has been everything new coach Dan Quinn has expected — and maybe more — in learning the offense and building a strong rapport with teammates.

“I got a great foundation base. Obviously, it’ll be tweaked week to week,” the former LSU star said. “It’s not going to be a final product.”

Tampa Bay’s defense has a solid track record against rookie quarterbacks, especially under Todd Bowles, who’s entering his third season as coach of the Bucs after spending the previous three years as defensive coordinator under former coach Bruce Arians.

Bowles still calls defensive plays and uses a wide variety of personnel groupings and blitz packages to disrupt and frustrate quarterbacks both young and old.

Since the coach’s arrival in Tampa Bay in 2019, the Bucs have gone 10-5 against rookie quarterbacks. They’re 1-2 during that span against QBs making their first career starts — losing to Daniel Jones (Giants, 2019) and Brock Purdy (49ers, 2022) and beating Trace McSorley (Cardinals 2022).

The Bucs, who allowed another No. 2 overall draft pick — Houston’s C.J. Stroud — to throw for a rookie single-game record 470 yards and five touchdowns during a loss to the Texans last season, are impressed with what they’ve seen of Daniels.

“He looks like the real deal,” All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. said.

“Any time you face a dual-threat quarterback, it’s going to be a problem. He can beat you with his legs or his arm,” Bowles added. “He was taken that high for a reason. He’s very accurate, very calm in the pocket, has a good mastery of the offense. … It’s going to be tough trying to keep him in the pocket and trying to cover those guys.”

The Commanders are confident Daniels is ready for the challenge.

“His aura and his confidence has been there since Day 1,” Washington wide receiver Dyami Brown said. “With a lot of young quarterbacks coming in, they learn a lot. But for him, him having that confidence in himself, it’s almost like he’s not even a rookie. He’s like a true vet. … I think at this point, it’s just him being him.”

Guard Nick Allegretti said the young QB is “incredibly composed.”

“Something’s going to happen on Sunday that we don’t expect, and we just expect him to keep his calm, keep his cool,” Allegretti said. “If not, we’re there for him — get your head back on straight. And then just compete. We know he’s a competitor. Just excited to see it in live action.”

Not just Daniels

Washington is expected to start at least two other rookies other than Daniels: Luke McCaffrey at slot receiver and Mike Sainristil at cornerback. Brandon Coleman is also expected to get some snaps at left tackle.

Two others could also see action — defensive tackle Johnny Newton, who is working back from foot surgery, and tight end Ben Sinnott.

Whole new vibe

This is the start of a brand new era of Washington football: a team remade almost entirely by new general manager Adam Peters and a fresh coaching staff led by led by Quinn.

This is Quinn’s first game as head coach since he was fired five games into the 2020 season by Atlanta, and he and Peters have brought in Kliff Kingsbury to run the offense and Joe Whitt Jr. to run the defense.

The regime in charge has drawn nothing but rave reviews, especially from the rare holdovers who have been all too used to losing.

“I’m really excited for what this team’s future has ahead,” said right guard Sam Cosmi, who this week signed a four-year, $74 million extension with $45 million guaranteed. “It’s so much different from the past three years that I’ve been here. And so to feel that, the atmosphere is just different. And you can just see that, I think everybody sees it. So, we need to put it together this season, and I think we will.”

Mariota on IR

The Commanders put Marcus Mariota on injured reserve on Saturday, ensuring the veteran quarterback will miss at least the first four games of the season. Coach Dan Quinn said Mariota strained a pectoral muscle.

Journeyman Jeff Driskel is expected to back up Jayden Daniels in the season opener. The Commanders also signed former Notre Dame and Wake Forest QB Sam Hartman off their practice squad.

An anticipated overkill by the No. 1 team will fit only too well into an annual early-season pattern. Last week’s interesting games were far outnumbered by clinics in running up the score — 76-0, 63-0, 69-3, 52-0, just to note a few of the many uber-routs. College football’s landscape is changing, yet the custom of big schools beating up on the little guys thrives. The obsequious national media and the people scheduling these games somehow fail to recognize what a bad look this is.

Charging on: Taylor Heinicke’s NFL career lives! Every time the former ODU star turns up on another team, Monarch fans have reason to smile.

Future watch: The NFL’s new kickoff rule and the introduction of in-game coach interviews will compete for this season’s worst idea.

Cats in the hat: NFL players now have the option to add the shock-absorbing Guardian Caps to their helmets during the regular season. Almost none will. Because while the shock-absorbing material may be useful for practice, it’s not cool enough for games. The league says that over two preseasons, the caps reduced concussions by 50% in practice for certain position players. But for now, fashion wins out over function.

Quick hit: Nobody asked me, but I’ll take the Ravens vs. the 49ers in Super Bowl LIX. Anybody can pick the Chiefs to three-peat. What’s the fun in that?

Turn it down: After a couple weeks of college football on TV, I’m reminded that too many play-by-play announcers took screaming lessons in broadcast school. So often the mute button is our friend.

Add TV: Again this year, every pass a defender touches is “almost intercepted.”

Bad start: The ACC badly needs a football reset. Or it could just jump directly into basketball season.

Rank: Florida State, 0-2, has been a mess. But what were the professional guessers in the media thinking when they placed the ‘Noles 10th in the preseason rankings? Anybody willing to explain?

Old-school: With the introduction of the 12-team playoff, the weekly Top 25 guesstimate rankings begin to look even more like an antique.

Name change: Reader Don Vtipil questions why, in this age of NIL, college players are still called student-athletes. He suggests “university employees.” I’m with him.

TV timeout: Seeing as how Tom Brady is making $37.5 million per year to work for Fox, let’s hope he’s not another analyst who talks like he’s being paid by the word.

He’ll be back: I’m not usually so free with my compliments for TV talking heads, but I thought Robert Griffin III, recently fired by ESPN, did a better job than most on panels or in game-day booths. Somebody will grab him up.

Camera ready: With Monday Night Football spots on the ManningCast, a weekly Friday ESPN show with Peyton and an analyst position on the CW Network’s “Inside the NFL,” Bill Belichick is giving every appearance of a guy getting over his media shyness.

Poor kid: Danger lurks around every corner … and ballfield. Croix Bethune, a midfielder for the Washington Spirit of the National Women’s Soccer League and a member the U.S. Olympic gold-medal winners, recently threw out the ceremonial first pitch at a Nationals game. And in the process, she suffered a torn meniscus that will sideline her the rest of the season.

What he said: Orioles TV voice Kevin Brown created a classic call this week when two players from the pitiable White Sox collided on a routine popup, allowing the ball to drop and three runs to score. “Oh no, oh my goodness,” Brown exclaimed, “the White Sox have just gone full White Sox.”

Bob Molinaro is a former Virginian-Pilot sports columnist. His Weekly Briefing runs Fridays in The Pilot and Daily Press. He can be reached at bob5molinaro@gmail.com and via Twitter@BobMolinaro.