Tampa Bay will look to build on their impressive 2-0 start when they host the Denver Broncos in Week 3, while Denver hopes to turn around their 0-2 record under rookie quarterback Bo Nix.
Nix’s first pass following Jake Camarda’s touchback was a back-shoulder pass to Courtland Sutton for 22 yards, but due to an offensive pass interference penalty the ball was moved back 15 yards.
| Team | Category | Player | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | Passing | Bo Nix | 25/36, 216 yds, 0 TD, 0 INT |
| Denver Broncos | Rushing | Tyler Badie | 9 carries, 70 yds (7.8 avg), 0 TD |
| Denver Broncos | Rushing | Bo Nix | 9 carries, 47 yds, 1 TD |
| Denver Broncos | Receiving | Courtland Sutton | 7 receptions, 68 yds |
| Denver Broncos | Receiving | Lil’Jordan Humphrey | 6 receptions, 37 yds |
| Denver Broncos | Defense | Brandon Jones | 1 INT, 37 return yds |
| Denver Broncos | Defense | Dondrea Tillman | 2 sacks, 18 sack yds |
| Denver Broncos | Kicking | Wil Lutz | 4/4 FGs (43, 38, 33, 43 yds), 2/2 XPs |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Passing | Baker Mayfield | 25/33, 163 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Rushing | Bucky Irving | 9 carries, 70 yds (7.8 avg), 0 TD |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Receiving | Chris Godwin | 6 receptions, 53 yds, 1 TD |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Receiving | Cade Otton | 7 receptions, 47 yds |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Defense | Lavonte David | 1 forced fumble |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Defense | Jamel Dean | 13 total tackles |
WRs
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix had yet to record his first touchdown pass this season and their offense had struggled during their slow start, both factors needed for victory against Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
After Rachaad White ran for three yards, the Broncos advanced into scoring position by throwing a short pass to Courtland Sutton, who reached left sideline before fumbling on subsequent play but then being recovered by Brandon Jones to keep their drive going. Sutton turned over possession again soon thereafter but Brandon Jones recovered his fumble for good measure to put Denver back into business.
Mayfield started the next drive by throwing an incompletion to Evans before being sacked on third down and trying to dump off under pressure to White but Jackson intercepted him and set in motion a 67-yard drive that culminated with Chris Godwin catching a 6-yard touchdown catch.
After the two-minute warning, Tampa Bay had possession on their own 45 with just under two minutes remaining in regulation. Tampa Bay attempted a misdirection handoff to Irving who ran through traffic for an impressive gain that carried them all the way to Denver 34. They successfully converted second and six when White’s pass went through a facemask penalty and gained nine yards on an end-around pitch to Irving.
Second half offensive performance from Buccaneers continued to be subpar and never found their footing. Wil Lutz field goals and Lavonte David forcing fumble recovered by Logan Hall provided some respite in third quarter for Broncos.
In the fourth quarter, Javonte Williams’ fumble and Payne Durham’s pass interference penalty gave the Bucs first-and-goal at the 1-yard line; unfortunately Jaleel McLaughlin was tackled for no gain during their opening play and Brandon Camarda kicked a 30-yard field goal to seal victory for Denver. Although disappointed by this loss, their defense managed to limit Buccaneer passer Russell Mayfield to only 132 net passing yards on Sunday while also managing seven sacks while making effective use of their blitz.
RBs
The Broncos quickly found themselves ahead of Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second quarter, dominating their opponent and scoring three touchdowns to seal their victory. Over 90 points had already been scored during those four previous meetings between these teams with none being dropped at half time due to leading by 13 or more points at that time. They currently rank top rated scoring offense in NFL with 21 touchdowns this year while also boasting second rated running game led by rookie RB Bucky Irving.
On their first drive of the second half, the Bucs struggled against Denver’s defense, with Lavonte David forcing a fumble off of Javonte Williams that Logan Hall recovered to end their drive. Two plays later on fourth-and-goal for Denver on fourth down quarterback Baker Mayfield threw short pass Chris Godwin who used an inside corner stutter step and spin move to gain leverage before making an easy catch for six-yard touchdown.
On another Broncos drive, their offense was held back by a strong Bucs defense. On third down, Brandon Jones intercepted Mayfield’s pass and returned it 36 yards to the nine-yard line. They went for it on fourth down by bringing in a jumbo package which pitched directly to Jaleel McLaughlin who avoided one defender before running around it for a touchdown score.
After several drives, the offense was able to move the chains with another screen pass to Lil’Jordan Humphrey. On the following play, Nix appeared to be under pressure from Yaya Diaby but managed to elude any pressure and move all the way back up the field to Tampa Bay’s 41. A short pass to Courtland Sutton moved them along for another yardage gain on third down – setting up third and goal for Denver.
Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning found Sutton, who ran through a seam against coverage to reach the end zone for an easy touchdown score.
TEs
This year, the Broncos possess an exceptionally talented group of tight ends (TEs). Led by Darrent Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Matakevich – their combination made their offense extremely potent in this game against Tampa Bay Buccaneers; breaking through their defense to score two touchdowns that helped secure their first win of 2024 for Broncos fans.
Starting off the second quarter with a touchback, Denver opened with an extended drive that ended with Wil Lutz’s field goal. Their offense managed to keep momentum rolling with short passes and screen passes before McLaughlin found space open up the middle for 15 yards before faked handoff and ran seven more yards back towards Tampa 31.
On the subsequent kickoff, the Bucs’ defense held Denver to a short punt; however, they were unable to convert on third-down sack of Mayfield and fourth-down takedown of Matakevich attempts.
In the third quarter, Denver was all about defense. They stopped any sort of run game from developing against them while also recording some impressive sacks on QB Mike Evans, LB Lavonte David and DL Vita Vea – which was quite an impressive performance from their defense unit.
On the fourth quarter, Lutz added two more field goals for Denver while their defense forced a turnover on downs by forcing Rachaad White’s fumble through LB Jeremy Camarda forcing it.
The final score was 20-7 in favor of the Broncos, who managed to pull off an impressive victory despite missing several key starters, such as NT Adam Carriker (foot), LBs CJ Smith and Vita Vea (both injured), and WR Jamison Crowder (both injured). Their defense performed admirably against one of the league’s premier offensive teams; it will be interesting to see how they handle more challenging competition when regular season kicks off – it certainly played a key role in two wins out of three victories!
CBs
Bo Nix made his return from Week 14 loss against the Eagles by producing a stellar performance for Denver Broncos against Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a 26-7 win, earning his first career win by limiting costly errors and getting the ball into playmakers’ hands. The 12th overall pick earned his victory by keeping playmakers engaged.
Nix led the team down to Tampa Bay’s 31-yard line on its opening drive despite some missed tackles on their opening drive, where after a sack and incompletion to Godwin on second down and an incompletion to Godwin on third, defense forced another punt.
On the next Buccaneers drive, Lavonte David forced a fumble which Logan Hall recovered for their first takeaway of the game – however they were unable to capitalize as they failed to convert a fourth-and-2 attempt.
The Broncos’ initial drive of the second half featured several notable plays, including a 27-yard gain by running back Courtland Sutton out of hurry-up mode and Josh Reynolds’ 31-yard reception on a post-cut route for 31 yards – both off hurry-up mode – before culminating with Will Lutz kicking a 33-yard field goal.
Denver’s defense was successful throughout the second half, consistently sacking Baker Mayfield and forcing turnovers. On Denver’s final possession, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka’s sack on third down and Rachaad White’s stop short of the sticks set up the Broncos’ final drive into Tampa Bay territory and ensured victory for Denver.
With their victory, the Broncos improved to 2-1 overall and remain undefeated at home this season. Their defense has held opponents to just 132 net passing yards over two games — the best mark in the league. Furthermore, this win marks Denver’s third straight home victory to begin any season since 1994; their defense also only allowed one passing touchdown so far this season- tied for fourth-longest streak ever among franchise history; their rushing defense only gave up one rushing touchdown during those same two games- tied fifth-longest streak ever in franchise history!
