So much can change in a week. That’s true of life, and it’s certainly true of the NFL. The Bucs were reminded of that fact in a major way on Sunday.

After opening the season with a dominant 37-20 home win over the Commanders and a gutsy 20-16 road win over the Lions in Detroit, the Bucs came back to Raymond James Stadium on Sunday for a Week 3 matchup against the 0-2 Broncos and struggling rookie quarterback Bo Nix. It seemed like the perfect opportunity for Tampa Bay to keep its momentum going, get to 3-0 for the first time since 2005 and head into a tough seven-game stretch that promises to test them in plenty of ways.

Broncos RB Jaleel McLaughlin and Bucs ILB KJ Britt – Photo by: USA Today

Only none of that came to fruition, as the Bucs were thoroughly dominated by the Broncos in a 26-7 loss. Baker Mayfield and the offense never mustered up much of anything, finishing with just seven points, 223 total yards, a 3-of-11 mark on third downs and two turnovers. Meanwhile, the Buccaneer defense wasn’t any better. Life was easy for Nix as the front seven generated little pressure and the secondary didn’t manage to make many plays at all.

Denver went up 14-0 early and Tampa Bay never recovered. The closest Todd Bowles’ team got was 17-7, but three more Wil Lutz field goals and a second-half shutout by the Broncos defense made for a lopsided final score, a 19-point deficit.

To borrow a phrase from Tampa Bay Rays closer Pete Fairbanks, “it was an all-encompassing type of suck.” Or, in Bowles’ words, “it was a complete team collapse.”

“There’s a lot of things to be disappointed about,” Bowles said after the game. “We can coach it better, we can play it better. We didn’t move the ball on offense, we didn’t stop them on defense well enough and we didn’t do anything special on special teams to make a difference, so it’s a complete team collapse. A complete team loss.”

Sunday’s Loss Proved To Be A Classic Trap Game For The Bucs

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

Was it a matter of the 2-0 Bucs thinking they’d just come out and cruise at home against the 0-2 Broncos? Bucs head coach Todd Bowles didn’t think so.

“No. We didn’t take them lightly,” he said. “We didn’t play well. We’ve got to coach it better, we’ve got to play it better. That starts with me.”

The head coach may not have thought his team took Denver lightly, but there was a bit of a different sentiment coming from his quarterback and some others in the locker room.

“This is a good lesson for our team that you have to prepare like you’re playing in a playoff game every week or else this can happen,” Baker Mayfield said. “I mean, [we] got our asses kicked, physicality-wise, execution-wise, all over the board for us. It’s a good lesson for our team, for the young guys that haven’t seen it before, what you need to be prepared for. How detailed we need to be. For it to happen this early on, I’m going to take the positives from it and take this one on the chin. There’s nothing else to do besides that and go from there.”

#Bucs QB Baker Mayfield kept it blunt after the game.

“This is a good lesson for our team that you have to prepare like you’re playing in a playoff game every week or else, this can happen. I mean, [we] got our asses kicked…” pic.twitter.com/CAqOAIjH6f

— PewterReport 🏴‍☠️ (@PewterReport) September 22, 2024

Cornerback Zyon McCollum had a similar viewpoint on what went down on Sunday afternoon.

“[The Broncos] were pissed off for a week, and we were happy for a week,” McCollum said. “That was the major difference coming into it. They had an intensity that they were going to punch us in the mouth, and we were thinking that they were just going to roll the ball over.”

The Bucs Need To Muster Up A Response — And Quick

Bucs CB Zyon McCollum – Photo by: USA Today

For the Bucs, there’s no letting this snowball. Todd Bowles and his team have to have an answer to Sunday’s embarrassing loss, and they have to have an answer quickly. Because the toughest stretch of Tampa Bay’s schedule lies ahead over the next seven weeks, and it begins next Sunday right back at Raymond James Stadium against the 2-1 Philadelphia Eagles.

The Bucs can’t let Sunday’s loss turn into two losses, and they certainly can’t let two losses become three… and four… and five. Following their playoff rematch with the Eagles in Week 4, the Bucs have a short week before a Thursday Night Football contest against the Falcons.

From there, it’s a road trip to the Superdome to face the Saints before a return home to host Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. Then, it’s a rematch with the Falcons at home prior to games against the two teams that played for the Super Bowl last season — a trip to Arrowhead Stadium to face Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs and a home game in Week 10 against the defending NFC champion 49ers.

Only after all of that do the Bucs get a chance to catch their collective breath. It’s a gauntlet between now and the team’s Week 11 bye, and there’s no room for what Tampa Bay put on display in Sunday’s loss to Denver. Getting off to a good start with a win to kick off this seven-game stretch is a must, and it’s why Sunday’s “complete team collapse” needs to result in a complete team rebound.

The Bucs have to respond, and they have to respond straight away.