Broncos At Buccaneers: Point Spread, Storylines, Prediction And More

Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos are set to take their 0-2 record to Florida in a Week 3 matchup with the undefeated Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

For Payton’s squad, this is nothing less than a must win. Dating back to 2002, only one team has gone on to make the playoffs after starting 0-3 (via Yahoo! Sports). While postseason football doesn’t seem to be in the cards for Denver this year, getting an upset road win would loom large.

The biggest story in Denver right now is the status of rookie first-round pick Bo Nix as the Broncos’ starting quarterback. He’s struggled big time through two games, leading to this one scribe suggesting that Payton should bench the youngster. It would only be for his own good.

On the other side sits a Buccaneers squad that blew out the Washington Commanders in the opener before surprisingly taking out the Detroit Lions on the road last week. Baker Mayfield is playing great football under center. Tampa’s defense has come to play thus far.

Here, we preview this Week 3 matchup between the Broncos and Buccaneers. It will include a look at the point spread, some top storylines and a final prediction.

Broncos-Buccaneers Preview: Point Spread, TV Information And More

• Date: Sunday, September 22
• Time: 1:00 PM ET
• TV: Fox
• Point Spread: Buccaneers (-7.0)

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Top Storylines For Denver Broncos, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Matchup

There certainly is a lot to look at for both teams heading into this game. In addition to Nix, one has to wonder whether Sean Payton could actually find himself on the hot seat with another lackluster performance. It seems ridiculous. But there are indicators that could end up being the case.

As for Tampa Bay, its huge Week 2 road win over Detroit put other NFC teams on notice. Is this squad a legit contender in the conference? These are among the storylines we look at heading into Sunday’s matchup.

Bo Nix Struggles And Potential Broncos QB Decision

Despite this rookie from Oregon tallying zero touchdowns with four interceptions through two games, Payton is not ready to pull the plug on Nix. In fact, the head coach indicates that he’s impressed by what he’s seen from Nix thus far. The one common theme from Payton throughout is the confidence he sees in the young signal caller.

"He's been through the firestorm, if you will," Payton said, via the Broncos’ official website. "You're better prepared, you're better served when it comes around again. … We're not in that position right now. Obviously, we would have liked to have started better, but my point is he's someone that I think by nature is confident in his preparation, in his ability and is not going to be discouraged easily, if you will."

That’s all fine and dandy. But at some point, it has to actually show up in the results. We have not seen that as of yet.

In addition to throwing four picks without a touchdown in two games, Nix is leading the Broncos to an average of 13 points per outing. A lot of that has to do with a rushing attack that has struggled. After all, Nix is the Broncos’ leading rusher this season. That’s not a recipe for success. It’s also not sustainable.

It’s placed too much of an onus on Nix, who should be tasked with managing games and avoiding turnovers more than anything else. Simply put, Nix is not being put in a position to succeed.

Finding A Way To Contain Baker Mayfield And Co.

Last week was not the best performance from Mayfield and the Buccaneers’ offense. Fresh off a four-touchdown performance in Week 1 against the Commanders, Mayfield threw for 185 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

Instead, it was all about Tampa’s performance on defense. It picked off Lions quarterback Jared Goff two times in the 20-16 road win.

The Broncos need this to be a lower-scoring affair. They are not going to be able to compete if we’re talking about a track meet come Sunday in Tampa. That’s where the likes of cornerback Patrick Surtain II and Co. must step up.

Denver paid out a record-breaking contract for Surtain to be a game-changer. Through two games, he’s given up just three catches for 55 yards. Surtain’s matchup with future Hall of Famer Mike Evans will loom large here. Tampa’s top receiver has already hauled in eight receptions for 103 yards and two touchdowns on the season. He must be contained.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Status As A Contender

Beating Washington is one thing. Going into Detroit and taking out the defending NFC runner-up Lions is a completely different thing.

Mayfield has turned his career around big time since heading to Tampa Bay ahead of last season. He led the team to a surprise appearance in the NFC Divisional Playoffs a season ago. Thus far, it really does look like the Buccaneers have taken that next step to conference title contention.

Defensively, the Buccaneers are yielding the sixth-fewest points per game. They have yet to give up a passing touchdown. That tells us a lot about how the secondary has performed despite a number of early-season injuries.

The Bucs should have their way with Denver’s lackluster offense at home Sunday. If that does not happen, we’ll have to rethink their status as a top-end contender in the NFC.

Should Sean Payton’s Seat Be Hot?

Payton was handed a five-year contract at $18 million annually after he was acquired in a trade with the New Orleans Saints ahead of last season. He’ll have $54 million more guaranteed on his deal after this season.

Despite that, rumors will continue to grow regarding Payton’s long-term status in Denver should these early-season struggles continue. Forbes estimates that Broncos owner Rob Walton and his family are worth nearly $96 billion. This makes them the richest ownership group in the NFL. Paying out $54 million to end the Payton experiment obviously isn’t too rich for their blood.

Final Prediction For Broncos At Buccanerers

This is yet another bad matchup for Denver as the 2024 season continues. The way Tampa Bay’s defense has played the pass through two games shouldn’t provide confidence that Nix and Co. are ready to turn this around.

We do expect the Broncos to keep this relatively close up until the second half. Their defense has shown well through two games. Don’t expect a blowout. But also look for Denver to move to an ugly 0-3 on the campaign.

• Buccaneers: 27
• Broncos: 17