Post Game Recap: Buccaneers Take Care of Business in Denver

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320 Solar
320 Solar
The Deck Bar and Grille at Isla
The Deck Bar and Grille at Isla

For just the third time in franchise history, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the Denver Broncos. Though Tom Brady and the rest of the team were heavily favored to win this game, a win on the road is hard to come by in the NFL. Denver came into this game pretty banged up. With their top two players on offense in quarterback Drew Lock and wide receiver Courtland Sutton both not playing, the defense was able to have their way yesterday. However, the Buccaneers did a great job of keeping their foot on the gas dominated this game defensively.

 

Applying Pressure

Tampa Bay’s defense registered six sacks and two interceptions in their win against Denver. Shaquil Barrett’s return to Denver could not have gone much better. He got his first two sacks of the season, three tackles for loss, and two more QB hits. Jason Pierre Paul and Vita Vea both sacked the quarterback one time as well. It wasn’t just the front seven bringing the pressure though. Both Jordan Whitehead and Antoine Winfield Jr added a sack on blitzes from the safety position. Todd Bowles had great success dialing up blitzes all game, something that needs to continue moving forward.

Brady’s Big Day

Tom Brady played his best game so far in a Buccaneer uniform. He threw for 297 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions. Honestly, he probably could have had an even nicer day, but four times the Buccaneers were just two or fewer yards short of converting on third downs right around mid-field prevented them from getting into scoring position. His top wide receiver of the day was Scotty Miller, who hauled in three receptions for 83 yards. Mike Evans had an efficient day with two targets for two yards and two touchdowns. Chris Godwin went down with what appeared to be a hamstring injury, and the severity of that is still up in the air. Brady did not get much help from the running game.

Disappointing Day on the Ground

Though the game was still won, 68 total rushing yards and 2.7 yards per carry will not cut it against good teams in the NFL. The offensive line never had a real good push against Denver’s tough D-Line. Ronald Jones looked decent, carrying the ball 13 times for 53 yards. Leonard Fournette ran for just 15 yards on 7 carries. Look for offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich to try and establish more of a run game in next week’s game at home versus the Chargers.

Moving Forward

The Buccaneers will look to finish the first quarter of the season 3-1 as they take on the Los Angeles Chargers at home. The Chargers will come into town holding a 1-2 record and a bit of an issue at the quarterback position. Tyrod Taylor has already been ruled out (ribs) and Justin Herbert suffered an injury (ribs) in their Week 3 matchup against the Panthers.

 

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