Coming off a gutsy 20-16 win in a revenge game against the Lions last week, the Bucs had to like their chances as they came back to Raymond James Stadium to host an 0-2 Denver Broncos team led by a struggling rookie quarterback in Bo Nix.

But as much as Tampa Bay might’ve liked its chances, Sunday afternoon’s Week 3 matchup served as a reminder that the NFL is a league of parity and it doesn’t take long to go from the highs of winning a big road game over an NFC contender to losing at home to a team that came in averaging 13 points per game.

The Broncos entered the Bucs’ home stadium and served up a beating, winning 26-7 to drop Todd Bowles and Co. to 2-1 on the year. Tampa Bay just never got anything going against the Denver defense and Nix had it way too easy as Sean Payton proved to have the Bucs’ number once again.

Here’s a recap of all the action from Sunday’s disappointing beatdown:

Broncos 26, Bucs 7

Broncos QB Bo Nix – Photo by: USA Today

The Broncos offense started the game from their own 30 after a touchback on the opening kickoff and quickly made a statement. Rookie quarterback Bo Nix found Courtland Sutton for 22 yards and Josh Reynolds for 31, getting Denver inside the Tampa Bay 15-yard line in just a few plays. The Buccaneer defense managed to get to third down, but on 3rd & 2, Nix rolled to his right and ultimately took the ball in himself for a 3-yard touchdown. That six-play, 70-yard drive came easy and put the Bucs in an early 7-0 hole.

Tampa Bay’s offense didn’t get out to its own hot start, instead going three-and-out before punting the ball away. But the Bucs defense responded in kind, forcing a three-and-out of its own to get the ball back to Baker Mayfield with a chance to draw the game even. But Mayfield did quite the opposite, throwing a third-down interception that Brand Jones returned to the Tampa Bay 10. Four plays later, Jaleel McLaughlin found the end zone on 4th & Goal from the 1. Just like that, it was a 14-0 lead for the Broncos.

It didn’t get better on the Bucs’ next offensive possession, either, with another three-and-out giving the ball right back to Denver’s offense. A long, methodical drive took another 6:52 off the clock and extended the visitors’ lead, with Wil Lutz connecting on a 43-yard field goal to make it 17-0 with 9:25 to go in the second quarter.

Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: USA Today

Tampa Bay’s offense looked to get things going on its next drive, picking up a couple of first downs and getting across midfield. But a third-down miss by Mayfield left Todd Bowles to go for it on 4th & 2. But Mayfield and Chris Godwin couldn’t connect on fourth down either, leading to a turnover on downs.

After a full quarter and a half of misery, the Bucs finally swung momentum their way on the Broncos’ next possession. Lavonte David and Jordan Whitehead forced the ball loose from running back Javonte Williams’ arms, with Logan Hall coming up with the fumble recovery. As it turned out, that was a huge spark for the home team.

The offense’s next possession started with a bang, as rookie running back Bucky Irving ripped off a 32-yard run. Rachaad White followed up with a 9-yard run, then Cade Otton caught a 12-yard pass to get Tampa Bay in the red zone. Irving then got 13 yards to the 1-yard line, setting up 1st & Goal. After some hijinks with what appeared to be a phantom false start call, the Bucs finally put some points on the board. Mayfield and Godwin connected for a 6-yard touchdown, getting the game within 17-7 with 1:50 left before halftime.

That wouldn’t be where the half ended, though, as Nix marched the Broncos right down the field in the two-minute drill. He got them inside the Bucs’ 30, but a third-down pressure by rookie Chris Braswell forced an incompletion. Nonetheless, Lutz made a 38-yard field goal to make it a 20-7 Denver lead heading into halftime.

Broncos QB Bo Nix – Photo by: USA Today

The Bucs and Broncos traded punts to open the second half, then Tampa Bay had to punt the ball away again on its second possession of the third quarter. This time, Jake Camarda’s kick was down at the 6-yard line, giving Denver a long field.

All that meant was that Nix and Co. had more room to work with as they went to work on killing the clock. Short passes underneath got the drive down the field with ease, and a 22-yard Nix scramble after Anthony Nelson missed a sack also helped. By the time Lutz made a 33-yard field goal to make it 23-7, the drive had taken 7:57 off the clock and there was just 14:52 to go in the fourth quarter.

Down 16, the Bucs had a lot of work to do to get back in it, plus they had the clock to deal with. They took their time getting down the field anyway, with short passes moving the chains a few times. But then the drive stalled at the Denver 25 with 9:52 to go, leaving the home team in a dire situation.

That dire situation got even worse within just a couple of minutes, as Broncos practice squad running back Tyler Badie broke off a 43-yard run that was enough to lead to another Lutz field goal. With that, it was 26-7 and Tampa Bay trailed by three possessions with 7:30 to go.

The game was effectively over at that point, but then it got to a new level of over when the Bucs offense drove down the field, took four more minutes off the clock and then failed to get any points due to a Cade Otton fumble. From there, Denver finished off what was an absolute embarrassment of an afternoon for Tampa Bay.

Bucs RB Bucky Irving and QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: USA Today

Baker Mayfield finished 25-of-33 for just 163 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He was sacked seven times in the game, getting little help from his offensive line. His receivers were held in check, with Chris Godwin catching six passes for 53 yards and a touchdown to lead the way while Mike Evans caught just two passes for 17 yards. Bucky Irving was one of the lone bright spots, running nine times for 70 yards (7.8 avg.) and catching three passes for 15 yards.

Perhaps the only thing more frustrating for Tampa Bay was the fact that its defense offered little resistance against Bo Nix and the Denver offense. Nix made easy throw after easy throw to pick apart the secondary while the front seven got very little pressure all afternoon long. It was part poor showing, part poor game planning by Todd Bowles and his staff and part good game planning by Sean Payton and Co.

Nix completed 25 of his 36 passes for 216 yards and ran nine times for 47 yards and a touchdown. More importantly, he wasn’t sacked at all and didn’t turn the ball over. The Bucs hit him just twice, with both credited to rookie outside linebacker Chris Braswell. The Broncos finished with the edge in total yardage (352-223) and time of possession (32:08-27:52), controlling the game from the start.

The Bucs (2-1) will now need to regroup in a hurry as they begin a tough stretch starting next week with the Philadelphia Eagles coming to town. Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. at Raymond James Stadium.

GOT THE W IN TAMPA! 🌴 pic.twitter.com/KUGa4Bc2B9

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) September 22, 2024