TAMPA, Fla. – The Denver Broncos controlled the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from wire-to-wire on Sunday with a surprising 26-7 win at Raymond James Stadium. Rookie quarterback Bo Nix announced his arrival into the NFL albeit with four key Buccaneers’ starters being sidelined with injuries.
Tampa Bay was without safety Antoine Winfield, Jr., defensive end Calijah Kancey and nose tackle Vita Vea on defense. Meanwhile, tackle Luke Goedeke continued out of the offensive lineup as he still suffers from a Week One concussion in the opening win over Washington.
Denver marched six plays in 70 yards with the opening kickoff as Nix scored on a three-yard run off the right side after faking a dive play to his running back. He found wide receiver Courtland Sutton on an 18-yard connection on the game’s first play, then struck a 36-yard pass play to Jonathan Reynolds to set Denver up on the Tampa Bay 6-yard line.
“We went down and got a touchdown,” said Nix. “I think that set the tempo and set the tone for the game.”
Nix took advantage of the missing Winfield on the early strike as Kancey and Vea are keys in the pass rush which allowed Nix time to pass and his receivers had opportunities to operate.
“We didn’t take them lightly,” said Bucs coach Todd Bowles. “We didn’t play well. We have to coach it better and we have to play it better. That starts with me.”
Defensively, Denver sacked Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield seven times as the athleticism up front took its toll on the Bucs’ offensive line which had to shuffle with Goedeke out of action.
“There’s a mindset of trying to have the protections when they are bringing some of these pressures and there’s also the mindset of snap the ball and get it out of your hands,” explained Mayfield.
Sunday could have been Mayfield’s toughest game in a Buccaneers uniform. He completed 25-of-33 passes for just 163 yards as Tampa Bay was able to put up 223 total yards on the ground.
“This is a good lesson for our team overall,” commented Mayfield. “You have to prepare like you are playing in a playoff game every week or else this can happen.”
The lone Buccaneers score came 1:50 before halftime when Chris Godwin caught a 6-yard scoring toss from Mayfield to cut the score to 17-7.
Denver underscored its win as Patrick Surtain, II, covered Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans nearly all afternoon and held him to two catches for 17 yards.
Payton’s Protocol: Since Sean Payton was head coach of the New Orleans Saints, he has held a mastery over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with his 25th win against them on Sunday.
“Sean is a very smart guy and they have a tough team,” said Bowles. “We did not execute and they executed. Sean gets all the credit in the world. He outcoached me and their team outplayed our team.”
Payton is one of the top coaches in league history in developing depth in his offensive game plans and expounding from there.
“It was a complete offensive game,” said Nix. “We ran the ball well and it got us in manageable third downs and we were efficient when we threw the ball well.”
Bucky Irving Watch: Rookie running back Bucky Irving is a dynamic offensive threat in Bowles’ backfield. Irving had nine carries for 70 yards as he broke a 32-yard run over the right guard in the second quarter.
Irving was a major runner/receiver last season for the Oregon Ducks as he rushed for 1,185 yards on 85 carries while catching 56 balls.
“The opportunities he gets, he makes the most of,” Bowles commented. “We just have to get him more opportunities.”
