The Bucs are coming into their next game as heavy favorites over the Denver Broncos as they head to Empower Field at Mile High Stadium.

The main reason for that is because Denver has been ravaged by injuries early on, losing players on both sides of the ball. They lost starting quarterback Drew Lock for multiple weeks with a shoulder injury, running back Philip Lindsay with a toe injury, and an ACL injury to top receiver Courtland Sutton will cost him the rest of the season.

On defense, top corner A.J. Bouye is out for at least three weeks after a shoulder injury, while fellow corner Davontae Harris will be sidelined for a week or two because of a hamstring.

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That doesn’t even include the season ending ankle injury to premiere pass rusher Von Miller, who suffered the injury a week before the start of the season.

Tampa Bay was most likely going to be the favorites before all of this occurred, but after the laundry list of injuries, the expectation to win is even higher. But just because some key players are out doesn’t mean that the Bucs can be satisfied with just showing up on Sunday and expecting things to go their way.

As Bruce Arians put it, this team hasn’t done anything to give them the benefit of the doubt yet.

“I don’t think we’re anybody that can let our guard down,” Arians said. “We haven’t done shit. We better be strapped on and ready to go, they’re a very well coached football team and everybody’s got injuries. We’re nobody to look past anybody, so that message was passed.”

Arians credited Denver with being competitive in both of their games to start the season despite the odds stacking against them, saying they could be 2-0 right now.

Bucs head coach Bruce Arians

“They’re a damn good football team,” Arians said. “They can beat anybody on their schedule. They had a chance to win that one [against Pittsburgh] even with injuries, they should have won the first one [against Tennessee]. They’re tape doesn’t lie, they’re good.”

The Bucs on the other hand will have starting wide receiver Chris Godwin returning back to the lineup after missing last week with a concussion. The looming question with the Bucs’ offense, however, is what to make of Rob Gronkowski’s usage so far.

Gronkowksi has been a focal point in the run game, but in his return to the NFL he’s had a pedestrian two catches for 11 yards, with all of that coming in Week 1.

“We haven’t had that many red zone opportunities and I don’t see him running 40 yards past people anymore.” Arians said. “If we get in press coverage, hopefully he can. We brought him in to just play tight end. If that means no catches, that means no catches, if that means 10 catches, that means 10 catches because he’s open and that’s where the ball goes. We just fortified a room with a veteran player just like we did with A.Q. Shipley.”