Takeaways from Buccaneers vs. Broncos

Late in the second quarter, the momentum shifted to Tampa Bay on a six-play, 67-yard scoring drive. Buccaneers’ elite off-ball linebacker Lavonte David jarred the ball loose from running back Javonte Williams and defensive lineman Logan Hall recovered it, setting Baker Mayfield and cast up at the 33-yard line. Rookie running back Bucky Irving became the catalyst on the drive, stunning between the hashes with burst. “Bucky” chants rang out in Raymond James Stadium following a 32-yard pickup by Irving. The Oregon product initially motioned to the left then cut back to the right, taking the handoff from Mayfield. He took a course through the B-gap then quickly bounced to the outside with vision and ate up yards down the perimeter. Subsequently, Irving gained 13 yards on an end-around and brought the home team to first-and-goal. His prowess culminated in a Chris Godwin touchdown. After a Mayfield tush push was called back due to a penalty, Godwin was left isolated and took advantage.

He was lined up wide on the left side of the formation and following the snap, Godwin used a stutter-step release and achieved outside leverage against Broncos’ defensive back Riley Moss. Godwin managed to flip his body around to secure the catch, trimming the Bucs’ deficit. Tampa Bay cashed in on the takeaway with seven. In the fourth quarter, Irving dazzled again, this time with a Barry Sanders-esque juke. Irving left Alex Singleton gasping as he made a lethal cut, then came back to cross in front of the linebacker as he fell to the ground in the opposite direction. According to Head Coach Todd Bowles, Irving’s performance “earned more reps” in the backfield.

After an exhilarating 2-0 start to the 2024 slate, the Buccaneers struggled on both sides of the ball against the Broncos in Week Three. Denver controlled the tempo of the game and cruised to a 26-7 convincing win at Raymond James Stadium.

“It was as bad as I thought it was,” noted Bowles after watching the tape of Sunday’s matchup with the Broncos. “We didn’t play well in any facet of the game – offense, defense, or special teams…We can’t make the mistakes we made. We made a lot of mistakes yesterday that cost us the ballgame. We could’ve made some plays that could’ve bailed us out of some things, and we didn’t. We’ve just got to stay the course and understand it’s going to be a long year. We’re going to play harder next game than we did this game, and harder the next game after that than that game and try to keep it going.”

Under constant duress in the pocket with a relentless Denver pass rush, Baker Mayfield was held to 163 yards on 25-of-33 passing, with one touchdown and one interception. He was sacked seven times during the contest – a combination of both protections breaking down and the ball not being released in a timely fashion. The Broncos secondary provided tight coverage, aided by the front’s ability to generate pressure, and the Bucs were unable to sustain drives. Tampa Bay converted just three of 11 third-down attempts, and the early deficit forced a pass-heavy script. Denver imposed its will in the trenches on both sides of the ball and that dictated the outcome.

For the Broncos, rookie Bo Nix composed his best game in the NFL, looking more like a vested veteran than a first-year signal-caller. He completed 25 of 36 passes for 216 yards. He guided the Broncos to an early 14-0 lead following the Broncos’ opening drive touchdown. While the Bucs’ first three possessions culminated in a punt, an interception and another punt, the Broncos’ ended in a single punt sandwiched between two scores. On the first, Nix connected with Courtland Sutton on a back-shoulder throw for a gain of 22 and then hit Josh Reynolds in-stride on a go route as the Denver receiver got over the top of the Bucs’ defensive back. After a hitch by Javonte Williams, Nix ran the ball in himself on a three-yard run.

On the Bucs’ ensuing drive, Mayfield targeted Evans on a corner route but Brandon Jones undercut and came away with the pigskin. He returned it 37 yards, putting Denver in favorable field position. The Broncos capitalized on fourth down with a Jaleel McLaughlin one-yard score. The Bucs’ defense made a stand on third-and-goal, stopping Javonte Williams short, but McLaughlin won with speed on the edge. Most of Nix’s passes came in the short-to-intermediate area of the field, which helped to mitigate the Bucs’ pass rush. He was hit twice and when he was pressured, Nix was able to find an escape lane, posting 47 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

“We got pressure; the ball was coming out quick,” said Bowles. “And when we did get pressure, we didn’t tackle well. And he broke a couple tackles and got out of the pocket – that was the most disappointing thing, the tackling.”