Stick here for live updates and analysis as Denver takes on the Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
Live updates
FINAL | Broncos 26, Buccaneers 7
The Broncos’ offense came alive and the defense dominated on Sunday as Denver beat the Buccaneers, 26-7, in Tampa, Florida.
Rookie quarterback Bo Nix completed 25 of 36 passes ffor 216 yards. He also had seven carries for 45 yards and touchdown in the winning effort.
On defense, the Broncos totaled seven sacks and a pair of takeaways. Denver will take on the Jets on the road next week.
More Broncos coverage:
- PHOTOS: Denver Broncos beat Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26-7.
- Broncos’ third-quarter mega-drive ended in a field goal, but it powered 26-7 win at Bucs and provided blueprint going forward.
- Renck: Broncos’ Sean Payton finally produces signature win with decision to take ball first.
- apB Pat Surtain II shuts down Mike Evans in win over Buccaneers: “He’s the best in the league.”
- Broncos OLB Dondrea Tillman logs two sacks in NFL debut as part of dominant defensive outing: “Itap a dream come true.”
- Bo Nix Watch: Broncos rookie QB nearly flawless in first career win with Denver.
- Broncos Four Downs: Thatap Bidet, to you. Tyler Badie shines as Javonte Williams struggles in Denver’s win.
- Broncos report card: Bo Nix finds the rhythm and Vance Joseph’s defense dominates in decisive win at Tampa Bay.
Fourth-quarter updates
Dominating effort (1:52 p.m.): Dominant win for the Broncos. They allowed 223 yards and racked up seven sacks. Bo Nix played his best game so far. It’ll be a much livelier practice week in West Virginia after this showing. — Gabriel
RB1 (1:41 p.m.): Maybe Tyler Badie should be the top running back until further notice. — McFadden
Dominant defense (1:40 p.m.): Riley Moss puts a helmet on the ball and the Broncos force their second turnover of the game. This one is done folks. What a day for Sean Payton and the Broncos. — Schubert
Sacked (1:40 p.m.): Dondrea Tillman with his second sack of a day. Maybe keep that guy around, huh? — Schubert
Injury (1:36 p.m.): Zach Allen is being checked out by the medical team. He got tripped up by Alex Singleton on that last play. He’s walking off the field on his own power. — Nguyen
Sacked (1:34 p.m.): Zach Allen credited with that sack. — Nguyen
Field goal, Broncos (1:29 p.m.): Wil Lutz nails a 43-yard field goal. Broncos 26, Buccaneers 7 with 7:30 to go in the game. — Nguyen
Tack on another field goal. A complete performance from the Broncos on the road. All that’s missing is Bo Nix’s first touchdown pass. — Schubert
Tyler. Badie. (1:28 p.m.): Tyler Badie will be getting picked up on a fantasy football waiver wire near you this week. — Schubert
Stopped (1:23 p.m.): Bucs go for it on fourth down, VJ brings the blitz, and the Bucs’ drive is done. What a performance from Joseph’s defense today. — Schubert
Vance Joseph… 2025 head coaching candidate? — Gabriel
Sacked (1:22 p.m.): Jonathon Cooper with the sack on Baker Mayfield to slow down Tampa’s drive. — Nguyen
Jonathon Cooper with his third sack of the season. A promising Tampa Bay drive stalls because of it. — Schubert
Field goal, Broncos (1:14 p.m.): Third down is incomplete after Courtland Sutton is unable to come down in bounds on a fade to the end zone. Denver still gets three out of the drive. It’s 23-7 early in the fourth quarter. — Schubert
Sutton tries to high point ball for TD. But ends up out of bounds. He appeared to be limping as headed to sideline. Lutz FG makes it 23-7 with 14:52 remaining… Broncos went 15 plays for 79 yards, 7:57 off the clock. That is how you win on the road. — Renck
Third-quarter analysis — Broncos 20, Buccaneers 7
Parker Gabriel, beat writer: If the Broncos punch this one in after Tampa Bay jumped offsides twice, this ball game is over.
Troy Renck, sports columnist: Neither team scores in third quarter. Broncos lead 20-7 with a third-and-4 at 15-yard line. Denver has held Tampa Bay to 143 yards. And Broncos have 8-minute time of possession advantage. Tie a rope and hold on time. Score a TD here and game is over. Even a field goal puts Denver in good spot.
Matt Schubert, sports editor: A hold-down-the-fort 15 minutes from the Broncos. Two midfield stops and then a clock-killing drive that’s still going. Just a mature response out of halftime from Denver. Bo Nix’s first NFL win just 15 minutes away.
Third-quarter updates
Clock control (1:11 p.m.): Really impressive clock-chewing drive from the Broncos. Two third-down conversions and they have a shot at another to start the fourth quarter after a pair of offsides flags for Tampa Bay. — Schubert
Broncos have rolled 7:49 off the clock already on this drive as the third quarter ends. — Gabriel
Nix’s legs (1:08 p.m.): Bo Nix has seven carries for 45 yards and a touchdown.
Williams, McLaughlin and Badie have rushed for a combined 26 yards on 12 carries. — McFadden
Nimble (1:07 p.m.): Been a while since the Broncos had a quarterback who could scramble like that. Maybe Jake the Snake? — Schubert
Escape (1:06 p.m.): Bo Nix showing why he was top dual-threat QB in country when signed with Auburn. Nix escapes for 22 yards and has 45 on the ground. He has been their best runner through 10 quarters. Need a RB to emerge. But Nix is legit threat on ground. — Renck
Third-down conversion (1:01 p.m.): On third-and-9, Broncos QB Bo Nix connected with Lil’Jordan Humphrey for a big 17-yard gain. — Nguyen
Special talent (12:58 p.m.): How special is Pat Surtain II? Buccaneers top wide receiver Mike Evans only has one catch for eight yards on two targets. — McFadden
Hometown roll (12:57 p.m.): Bucs catch a break when a shanked punt rolls to the Broncos 5-yard line. Nix and Co. will have their work cut out for them on this next drive. — Schubert
Another sack (12:55 p.m.): Dondrea Tillman with the sack for the Broncos. — Nguyen
Tillman, playing because Browning is hurt, gets his first sack. — Renck
The Broncos defense gets home again on Tampa Bay’s next drive. Bucs having a hard time getting past midfield. Another punt coming. — Schubert
Slower production (12:55 p.m.): Not to be a parade rain-er here, but Bo Nix had 70 passing yards on his first four attempts.
Now has 99 on his past 21. — Gabriel
Three-and-out (12:51 p.m.): Nix caught break on that drive. Ball deflected out his hand could have been picked. And stared down WR on third down and probably should have been picked. Part of the rookie ride that requires a seat belt. — Renck
Three-and-out from the Broncos offense, with Bo Nix throwing his first questionable pass of the day. Could have easily been picked. The Denver defense may have to bring this one home. — Schubert
Maybe I’m overreacting but that first drive of the third quarter gave me the impression that Denver will need to rely heavily on its defense to win this game. — McFadden
Defensive stop (12:46 p.m.): Vance Joseph so far in his bag that he broke out the one-man rush on third down and the Broncos came up with a stop. — Gabriel
Broncos defense holds at midfield after a pair of Tampa Bay first downs. Great response from Denver. John Franklin-Myers with his first sack in orange and blue. — Schubert
Sacked (12:43 p.m.): John Franklin-Myers sacks Baker Mayfield for the 7-yard loss. — Nguyen
Halftime analysis — Broncos 20, Buccaneers 7
Parker Gabriel, beat writer: In Week 2 last year, the Broncos jumped ahead of Washington 21-3 early and then blew it in the second half. Sean Payton acknowledged after the game that he got one-dimensional and went away from the run game. Denver should keep being aggressive today, but not at the expense of getting one dimensional.
Ryan McFadden, beat writer: At this point, I think the Broncos should see what Tyler Badie can do with more carries. Williams only has four carries for 10 yards (2.5 yards per attempt) and Nix is leading the team in rushing yards … again.
Troy Renck, sports columnist: Broncos took awful two weeks personally. The Oline has stepped up. Nix has barely faced pressure, leaving him on time and on target. He is 18-23 for 169 and leads team with 21 yards rushing. Multiple players have made plays and the defense remains stout. Complementary football.
It has also been noticeable that the Broncos are getting to the line of scrimmage consistently with more than 10 seconds. So something has been streamlined with Payton-to-Nix in huddle. It has left Nix with more time at line of scrimmage to look over defense, knowledge that provides confidence.
Matt Schubert, sports editor: Take away the Javonte Williams fumble and the leaky run defense (in one drive), and that was about as good of a first half as anyone in apountry could have hoped for. Bo Nix was crisp and efficient. The protection without Mike McGlinchey was fantastic. Then run game was … fine. This is the progress Denver fans desperately needed to see.
Second-quarter updates
Bo Nix stats (12:27 p.m.): Broncos rookie QB Bo Nix in the first half:
- 18/23 for 169 yards
- 5 carries, 21 yards, TD
- No sacks
— Gabriel
Field goal, Broncos (12:25 p.m.): Broncos stall out at the 20 but Lutz hits from 38 yards for a 20-7 lead with :02 left in the first half. Nix did everything right that drive, including getting just outside the pocket to throw a ball away and avoid a sack before the field goal. — Gabriel
Fantastic, smart two-minute drill from Bo Nix. They are going to get three points out of it. That’ll do just fine. — Schubert
Sharp (12:22 p.m.): Bo Nix looking really sharp with the two-minute drill. Good, quick decisions and accurate passes. Denver is in Tampa territory. — Schubert
This is the Bo Nix we saw during the preseason. — McFadden
Javonte returns (12:20 p.m.): Javonte Williams back in the game to start this drive for the Broncos. — Gabriel
Touchdown, Tampa Bay (12:16 p.m.): Baker Mayfield connected with Chris Godwin for a 6-yard touchdown. Broncos 17, Buccaneers 7 with 1:50 to go in the half. — Nguyen
Baker to Godwin for a TD. It’s 17-7 with 1:50 left in the second quarter, and Javonte Williams might not see the ball again the rest of the day. — Schubert
Can’t get mad at the coverage from Riley Moss. Godwin is a really good WR who made a tough catch. — McFadden
Bucs turn takeaway into 7 points. So instead of leading 20-0, Broncos lead 17-7 after Mayfield to Godwin connection for score. Moss had decent coverage. Godwin made even better catch. … When Estime fumble in Seattle he was banished to the IR for four weeks. I kid. I kid. — Renck
If the Bucs come back in this game, Sean Payton may not make Javonte Wiliams spend the week at the Greenbriar. — Gabriel
Ducks strong (12:12 p.m.): Oregon rookies are doing work in this game.
- Broncos QB Bo Nix 13/16 for 124 plus 16 rushing yards and a TD
- Bucs RB Bucky Irving: 4 carries for 49
- Broncos WR Troy Franklin: First NFL catch
— Gabriel
Threatening (12:11 p.m.): Two minute warning hits and the Bucs are at the Broncos 1-yard line. The laugher we were all enjoying is about to turn into a ballgame. — Schubert
Momentum change (12:09 p.m.): How quickly things can change: The Broncos were driving to go up 24-0. Javonte Williams fumble. Bucky Irving run. Suddenly, the Bucs are driving in Denver territory. — Schubert
Fumble? (12:05 p.m.): Javonte Williams fumbled. Called down. But is one could get reversed. Will cost Broncos points if overturned since they are in FG range. Time to give Badie more run. — Renck
There it is, the Broncos’ first big mistake of the day: A Javonte Williams fumble that is certain to go to Tampa Bay. Denver’s lead back’s stock continues to tumble. — Schubert
Have to imagine Javonte Williams’ grip on the No. 1 job is slipping. — Gabriel
If I’m the Broncos, I’m giving Audric Estime a shot at RB1 when he comes back from the IR. — McFadden
Casa Bonitto (12:01 p.m.): Bonitto’s get off is special to watch. He plays the game with so much speed. — McFadden
Fourth-down stop (11:58 a.m.): Tampa couldn’t convert on fourth-and-2. Denver ball at their own 45-yard line. — Nguyen
Vance Joseph’s defense is humming today. — Gabriel
Fourth-down stop at midfield. Complementary football, folks. — Schubert
Big lead (11:57 a.m.): Based on my quick research, this is Broncos’ biggest lead on road since they jumped out to 30-0 advantage over Cowboys in Week 5 in 2021. They lead 17-0 now. — Renck
Got away with one (11:56 a.m.): Malcolm Roach got away with grabbing a fistful of Bucky Irving’s facemask. When it’s your day, it’s your day. — Gabriel
Mike Evans (11:56 a.m.): It took the Bucs nearly 1 1/2 quarters to get Mike Evans the football. — Schubert
Field goal (11:51 a.m.): After a couple of penalties pushed Denver back, the Broncos settled for a 43-yard field goal by Wil Lutz. Broncos 17, Buccaneers 0 with 9:25 to go in the second. — Nguyen
Broncos take 17-point lead on the road. Not a sentence I have written much since Peyton Manning retired. It was 41 yards on 13 plays, 6:52. There’s 9:25 remaining in the half. — Renck
Another promising Broncos drive ends in a Will Lutz field goal. It’s 17-0 Denver in the second quarter. I think it’s safe to say nobody saw thing coming. (Bucs were 6.5-point favorites.) — Schubert
Pronunciation (11:49 a.m.): For viewers at home: It’s Tyler Badie, not Bidet. — Schubert
So, Broncos PR said they asked Tyler and it is pronounced Be-Day. I might have waited until New Orleans game to break that out.. — Renck
Welcome to the league (11:46 a.m.): Troy Franklin with his first NFL catch for historians out there. Went for 6 yards — Renck
Sutton sighting (11:45 a.m.): Three catches for 45 yards for Courtland Sutton so far. He had five catches for 64 yards total coming into this game. — Nguyen
First-quarter analysis — Broncos 14, Buccaneers 0
Parker Gabriel, beat writer: Sean Payton’s got the Broncos ready to roll today. Long way to go in the heat, but this team needed a start like this in a big way and it’s getting a terrific outing so far.
I’m not sure if the Broncos think Jaleel McLaughlin is a 20-touch-per-game kind of guy, but they might want to really find out.
Ryan McFadden, beat writer: Nix has been solid but the Broncos secondary was the highlight of the quarter.
Matt Schubert, sports editor: These are the Buccaneers’ starters, right? Preseason Bo Nix has entered the chat, the defense is swarming and Jaleel McLaughlin is making a case to be Denver’s top running back. What. A. Start.
First-quarter updates
Defense rolling (11:38 a.m.): Three-and-out.
The last time the Broncos saw this version of Baker Mayfield, he shaved his mustache at halftime. — Schubert
Who are these Broncos? — Gabriel
Denver’s secondary has been balling to start this game. They have had outstanding coverage, preventing Mayfield to throw the ball down the field. Riley Moss just made a fantastic play to break up a pass on third down. Vance Joseph has his guys playing on another level. — McLaughlin
Touchdown, Broncos (11:33 a.m.): Jaleel McLaughlin gets in on fourth-and-goal when it looked like two different defenders had him dead to rights. The make-you-miss ability comes through clutch. — Gabriel
Juked 'em. 💨
📺: FOX |
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos)
Jaleel McLaughlin turns what appeared to be a bad call into a fantastic touchdown run. — Schubert
Broncos RB Jaleel McLaughlin takes wide pitch. Makes a guy miss and Broncos score TD. It is their second red zone TD today. They had one red zone TD in previous two games. It was a 9-yard, 4-play drive. Broncos lead 14-0 with 2:56 remaining in first. They have averaged 14 points over last four games dating to last season. So this is obviously exceptional start. — Renck
Challenge (11:30 a.m.): Broncos going for it on fourth down at 1. Huge moment. And they all timeout. Denver is challenging the spot on whether Javonte Williams’ scored. — Renck
Javonte Williams fantasy fans are all standing up and applauding that challenge from Sean Payton.
Unclear if it’s actually a smart decision, though. — Schubert
Free play (11:27 a.m.): Bo Nix lucky not to turn the ball over there as his fumble is negated by an offside penalty. Instead of a turnover it’s first-and-goal from the 5. — Gabriel
It didn’t look like it at first, but actually a smart play from Bo Nix right there. Might as well try some crazy stuff with a free play. — Schubert
Broncos avert disaster on Nix fumble. Looking to convert on back to back red zone attempts. They had one red zone TD in first two games. Trying for two in first quarter. — Renck
Picked (11:26 a.m.): Brandon Jones picks off Baker Mayfield and returns it to the Tampa 9-yard line. — Nguyen
Broncos safety Brandon Jones said in the offseason that he wanted to show he can be a playmaker on the back end. He just picked off Mayfield and returned the ball to TB’s 9-yard line. — McFadden
Second drive not as good (11:20 a.m.): Seem like there was some miscommunication between Nix and Lil’Jordan Humphrey on that third down incompletion. — McFadden
Bo Nix a lil’ off with Lil’Jordan Humphrey on third down. Looking like the Broncos will not score 70 points today. — Schubert
Bo Nix lucky not to get picked on third down against pressure from Tampa Bay. Second drive goes nowhere for the Broncos. — Gabriel
Broncos go three-and-out on second drive. The line changes, um, continue with four in and four out on plays. Will see if this simplifies as game goes on. Tyler Badie made first appearance on last series. — Renck
To Troy’s point, not sure the Broncos have run consecutive plays with the same personnel group on the field so far today. — Gabriel
All engines are a go (11:15 a.m.): Marvin Mims with 27-yard return of 67-yard punt. Denver is playing complementary football in the first quarter. It is welcomed as it is stunning. — Renck
Three-and-out (11:14 a.m.): Peyton Manning-era offensive precision combined with the Orange Crush defense to start the festivities. Things are going well in Tampa right now. — Schubert
Vance Joseph’s group forces Tampa three-and-out to start their afternoon. Broncos couldn’t have asked for a better start to this game. — McFadden
Touchdown, Broncos (11:09 a.m.): So, the Broncos offense showed up today. Bo Nix goes 4/4 for 70 and caps the opening drive with a 3-yard TD run. — Gabriel
Nix for six!
📺: FOX
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos)
Clinical drive from the Broncos to start this game. Dare I say it: Bo Nix looked competent and comfortable. — Schubert
Nix glides in untouched from 3 yards out for his second TD of the season. Easily Denver’s best drive of the season. Nix went 4-for-70 yards. Broncos lead 7-0. Hard to overstate importance of getting TD there. Missed that opportunity vs. Seattle and cost them dearly. — Renck
Bo Nix looked more comfortable in the pocket. At the same time, the offensive line provided solid protection throughout the drive. Let’s see if they can keep this up. — McFadden
Surprised (11:08 a.m.): I was not prepared for this much offensive competence. — Schubert
Pass first (11:06 a.m.): Broncos throw on first three downs with success. Nix looks comfortable, confident and decisive. Looks like preseason Nix. Broncos in red zone at 11-yard line. Consider me stunned. — Renck
Big gain (11:04 a.m.): Bo Nix slings a nice 22-yard pass to Courtland Sutton to start Denver’s opening drive. — Nguyen
Sutton could’ve been called for offensive pass interference but it was still a great catch to start the game. — McFadden
Coin toss (11:01 a.m.): 90 degrees and zero percent chance of rain, per the PA announcer here. It’s a steamer in Tampa.
Broncos win the toss and want the ball to start. Interesting, most of the time Payton defers. — Gabriel
There is zero percent chance of rain and 90 degrees at kickoff. Don’t melt, folks. Broncos take the ball. Um, Ok. — Renck
Pre-game updates
Broncos inactives (9:33 a.m.):
- QB Zach Wilson (3rd QB)
- S JL Skinner (ankle)
- WR Devaughn Vele
- RB Blake Watson
- CB Kris Abrams-Draine
- TE Lucas Krull
- DL Eyioma Uwazurike
WR Troy Franklin active again. OL Frank Crum active for the first time.
Vele cracked a rib in Week 1 and was out last week, but he was a full participant in Friday’s practice. — Gabriel
Field conditions (9:24 p.m.): The field looks fantastic, especially considering USF hosted Miami here last night. I did try to get onto ship to shoot cannon. It goes off after scores. I wanted to pretend Broncos scored a touchdown in the red zone. This is a bac matchup on paper. But at some point the Broncos offense has to look competitive, right? — Renck
Good morning from Tampa (9:09 a.m.): It’s a steamy September day on the Gulf coast. Fear not, I checked out the pirate ship here at Raymond James Stadium. It’s pretty cool, but they wouldn’t let Troy fire the cannon. Unfortunate. The Broncos, of course, will be trying to keep the cannon fire to a minimum today. They’ll need by far their best offensive effort today to avoid an 0-3 start.
Sean Payton still hasn’t won a game in September as Broncos coach. Will he get the job done today? Or will it be 0-6? — Gabriel
Scouting report (9 a.m.): Check out how the Broncos match up with the Buccaneers in Ryan McFadden’s scouting report.
Game predictions
Parker Gabriel, beat writer: Buccaneers 24, Broncos 20
Teams traveling to Florida early in the season typically don’t fare well. Sean Payton’s team hasn’t shown any signs through two weeks that itap the type of group to defy conventional wisdom. And yet there’s something about games that seem cut-and-dried where they often don’t go as assumed. All that said, this Denver team is probably going to have to win a game before getting the benefit of the doubt. Close, but maybe not as close as the score indicates.
Ryan McFadden, beat writer: Buccaneers 23, Broncos 13
The Broncos offense is flawed from a personnel and schematic standpoint. The defense will keep Denver in the game but expect the Buccaneers to pull away in the second half. Don’t be surprised if Bo Nix is held without a touchdown pass for the third straight week.
Troy Renck, columnist: Buccaneers 24, Broncos 16
Everything about this game suggests a rout. That is where the reverse-lock theory comes into play. This is a bad matchup, like a fifth starter vs. an ace. It is on the road, where the Broncos stink. But my belief is that the offense cannot get worse. The offensive line will take this game personally and run the ball better against the light-box, heavy-blitzing Bucs. It will allow the Broncos to stay in the game. Bo Nix will throw his first touchdown pass. But it won’t be enough as Tampa Bay remains undefeated.
Sean Keeler, columnist: Buccaneers 24, Broncos 14
Did you know Bo Nix has as many completions over his first two career NFL starts (46) as Baker Mayfield did as a rookie in 2018? Or that Nix has a higher completion percentage (59.7) in those two starts than Baker in his initial pair of NFL starts (53.5)? And … yeah, well, thatap about it, as far as “half-full” stats go. The former Sooner also threw for three scores and passed for 26 first downs in those two games, while Mayfield’s Browns put up a combined 54 points. Nix’s Broncos, at their current clip, might not hit the 54 mark until the first week of October.
Broncos-Buccaneers NFL Week 3: Must-reads
How can the Broncos get WR Courtland Sutton going? Perhaps it will start with a dagger.
Courtland Sutton is the Broncos’ dagger man.
He starts outside of Reynolds when the Broncos run this tried-and-true zone-beater. Gets up the field, lets Reynolds do his thing, then snaps inside. During camp and the preseason, rookie quarterback Bo Nix showed an affinity for the play, hitting Sutton on his route in rhythm time and time again, Parker Gabriel reports. Read the full story.
Broncos DE Zach Allen’s strong start attributed to high motor: “Play 16 and 48 look the same.”
It takes a special kind of stamina to chase down Steelers quarterback Justin Fields an entire game. Thatap why Zach Allen is paid the big bucks.
Allen was in Fields’ face from the start of Denver’s matchup against Pittsburgh last week. But it wasn’t until the two-minute mark of the second quarter that Allen took down the speedy signal caller, maneuvering past a pair of offensive linemen before striking Fields on his blind side.
Through two games, Allen has been one of the best pass rushers in the league. He is tied with Kansas City defensive lineman Chris Jones for the eighth-most pressures (10). Head coach Sean Payton attributes Allen’s early success to his high motor, playing in 95% of Denver’s defensive snaps while being a reliable presence down after down, Ryan McFadden reports. Read the full story.
Renck: There’s plenty of blame to go around for Broncos’ awful offense, starting with O-line: “They are choosing to be tired.”
Last week reminded us that the Broncos are in deep trouble this season. Once again, interceptions were thrown, penalties called, runs stuffed and hands wrung.
The blaring alarm comes from offensive statistics that look bad, are bad, and seem impossible to comprehend for a team not wearing leather helmets and playing on black-and-white TVs with rabbit ears.
No one disputes the premise that the Broncos offense stinks. Where does the blame lie? Read the full column.
