TAMPA, Fla. — Important disclaimer:

A football game is not won or lost by one person. There are about 100 players on the two sidelines. Coaches and officials. A ticking clock. Weather, field conditions, injuries. Even fan noise can occasionally have a role in a game’s outcome.

Except, in this case, those are all mere details.

When the Bucs take the field on Sunday night against the Commanders, the game really is about one player. Or, from Tampa Bay’s point of view, stopping one player.

Jayden Daniels has remade Washington’s fortunes like few rookie quarterbacks have ever done. A year ago, the Commanders finished 4-13 for their seventh consecutive non-winning season. Today, they are 12-5.

It’s the biggest turnaround by a rookie quarterback since Dak Prescott took the Cowboys from 4-12 to 13-3 in 2016.

Washington does not have a 1,000-yard rusher in the backfield. The defense is the weakest of the 14 playoff teams. The Commanders struggled to find a placekicker after Austin Seibert was hurt. And Daniels set an NFL rookie record for quarterbacks by rushing for 891 yards.

So, yeah, pointing at Daniels as the reason for Washington’s resurgence is not a huge leap.

“We don’t fear anybody, but we definitely know what he’s capable of,” said Bucs defensive lineman Logan Hall. “He’s got some legs on him. He’s very elusive.”

The Bucs got a taste of trying to contain Daniels in a season-opening 37-20 win against the Commanders. Even though it was his NFL debut, Daniels did not throw an interception against Tampa Bay and rushed for 88 yards.

The problem, head coach Todd Bowles said, is putting pressure on Daniels while not giving him an opening to run.

“You want to flush him at times and have somebody out there if you can,” Bowles said. “These guys are so talented right now, even when you flush him, you’ve got to catch him, then even when you catch him, you’ve got to tackle him. So, whether he goes up the middle, whether he’s in the pocket or out of the pocket, he’s dangerous.”

The Bucs did not often use a spy — a lineman or linebacker dedicated to containing Daniels rather than rushing him — in that first meeting but other teams have had some minor success with the strategy.

“What you’re going to have to do (is) pick your poison,” said co-defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers. “With the spy, hopefully (you) can keep him in the pocket, but I’ve seen a lot of people spy and he made them miss so that didn’t exactly work out.

“If you’re staying here, now you’re putting a lot of pressure on the back end because the spy really isn’t rushing so you’re in a three-man rush and the routes have more time to develop and get downfield. So it still goes back to that chess match. You’re kind of like, ‘Hey, maybe this time will be good to spy. Maybe not so much the next time.’ ”

If the Bucs choose to go the spy route on specific plays, edge rusher Joe Tryon-Shoyinka probably makes the most sense in the role. He might be the only player on Tampa Bay’s front seven with enough speed to stay close to Daniels.

Back in September, Daniels rushed for 56 yards on seven carries in the first half against the Bucs. In the second half, it appeared as if the Bucs had more success with their edge rushers lined up a little wider to cut down on Daniels’ running lanes.

But even then, your outside pass rush needs to be careful that it doesn’t get too far up the field because Daniels is quick enough to step up and exploit the middle of the field.

Bowles described it as a fine line between being disciplined enough with the pass rush to patrol your lane, but not so disciplined that you lose your aggressiveness. Daniels had a 100.1 passer rating this season, so letting him get comfortable in the pocket won’t work either.

“What makes it difficult is if you do not rush together, you’re not going to contain him,” said defensive lineman Will Gholston. “What did he have against us in the first game? Something like (88) yards? That dude was going to work on us.

“He’s a dynamic quarterback, very young and the leading rusher on their team. So we’ve got to follow the game plan and do the things we’ve been (taught). I think it’s going to be fun. Prime time, playoffs, at home. It’s going to be an awesome game.”

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