It was a good day for Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters.

Peters had a lengthy to-do list after the Commanders' NFC Championship loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. He needed to find more weapons for Jayden Daniels, particularly one who could complement Terry McLaurin; the defense needed serious overhaul, both up front and in the secondary to keep up with the league's elite offenses; and Daniels needed more protection to be at his best and avoid the dreaded "sophomore slump" that many expect quarterbacks to succumb to in their second season.

Peters addressed all those areas in one form or another, and while it was not perfect -- both head coach Dan Quinn and Daniels commented on the overall sloppiness of the game -- the new additions played a role in the Commanders' 21-6 Week 1 win over the New York Giants.

"For our new players that are added to our group, I thought that was a good mix of what they could be," Quinn said.

While established names like Daniels, who completed 63% of his passes and accounted for 301 total yards; Zach Ertz, who scored the opening touchdown of the season; and Daron Payne all did their part in the victory, it was the newcomers who served as the stars of the afternoon. Deebo Samuel Sr. was the catalyst for the offense, both as a receiver and runner, with 96 total yards and a touchdown. Jacory Croskey-Merritt further cemented his status as a fan favorite by leading the team's 220-yard rushing performance with 82 yards, including a 42-yard sprint that helped ice the game.

Croskey-Merritt also got his first regular-season touchdown with the vision, quickness and burst that he touted in training camp. He bounced outside to the right on a six-yard run in the second quarter to get in the end zone untouched.

"It was whatever the coaches wanted me to do, and I was gonna do that 100%," Croskey-Merritt said. "I just appreciate my teammates for just being there for me the whole time."

Although it's worth noting the Giants were without tackles Andrew Thomas and Evan Neal, the defensive line shined throughout the afternoon. Javon Kinlaw, the Commanders' biggest free agent signing, made his presence felt on the Giants' first play, as he took down running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. for a one-yard loss. It set the tone for a stout ground performance -- another sticking point for the Commanders' defense last year -- as the Giants mustered just 74 yards. The front had just two sacks on Russell Wilson, but they hounded him with multiple pressures and forced incompletions at critical moments.

The Commanders' secondary, which featured several new pieces compared to the 2024 season opener, showed improvement as well. Malik Nabers had a quiet 71 yards, much of which was gained on one play, on five catches. He faced much stickier coverage compared to last year, as Trey Amos and Marshon Lattimore, two Peters acquisitions in the last 10 months, both recorded pass breakups on Nabers.

For all those improvements, it was sloppy at times. Penalties plagued both sides of the ball, as the Commanders racked up 12 flags for 89 yards. The offense had problems with drops that stymied its momentum, starting on the opening drive, when Ertz dropped what would have been a first down on third-and-10. In the second quarter, Samuel had a pass slip through his fingers, which contributed to a three-and-out. On defense, Deatrich Wise Jr. was called for an illegal use of hands on fourth-and-goal, which gave the Giants a fresh set of downs at the Commanders' 1-yard line.

And yet, there were flashes when it appeared as if the Commanders hadn't skipped a beat from last year. They zoomed down the field on their second drive, covering 89 yards in eight plays, highlighted by a 34-yard pickup from Chris Moore and culminating in Ertz's touchdown.

The Giants responded with a long drive of their own, converting two third downs and getting some help from an unsportsmanlike conduct call from Lattimore. The difference, however, was that Washington's defense held firm inside the 5-yard line. Wise took down rookie Cam Skattebo for a two-yard loss, and safety Will Harris -- another offseason acquisition -- stuffed Wilson at the goal line. That's when Wise committed his illegal use of hands penalty, but the defense forced two incompletions and a tackle for loss, which made the Giants settle for a field goal.

Two drives later, the Commanders' offense was back to picking up steam. Samuel secured a 16-yard pass to convert a second-and-16, and Daniels scrambled for 11 yards to convert a second-and-6 after being backed up on a second-and-19. Croskey-Merritt finished up the drive with back-to-back six-yard runs, the second of which was his touchdown.

Both teams went through a lull in the third quarter, with just a 55-yard field goal from Gano coming in the final two minutes. But the Commanders found points when they needed them in the fourth quarter, as they put together an 80-yard drive in nine plays that featured three runs of 14, 11 and 12 yards from Daniels. Samuel capped things off with an outside run to the left, navigating through blockers and diving across the pylon to put the Commanders up 21-6.

"First of all, it starts up front," Samuel said. "It started with the offensive line and Luke [McCaffrey] getting a great pin block. Just followed the guys into the end zone and did what I had to do."

The Giants tried to close the gap with a final gasp in the final five minutes, but the Commanders had one more goal line stop left in them. After a 14-yard reception by Daniel Bellinger put the Giants at the Commanders' 3-yard line, Wilson had four straight incompletions to give up a turnover on downs.

"I was pleased, especially in the low red zone," Quinn said. "[It was] the real game-changer part of this game. Two stops, that was a big deal."

The Commanders got some breathing room from Croskey-Merritt's 42-yard run and ran out the clock from there.

The mood was light in the Commanders' locker room following the win. They were more focused on the mistakes they made and their next game -- a Thursday Night Football matchup against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field -- rather than their most recent accomplishments.

It's much easier to focus on those things after a win, though.

"We were sloppy, but it's always better to come out with a win than a loss," Daniels said. "We'll learn from that."