The Buccaneers are all too familiar with the head coach that’s coming into their house on Sunday. For years, Sean Payton terrorized Bucs fans as the Saints constantly get the better of them. This time around, he doesn’t have Drew Brees at the helm. Instead, it’s rookie Bo Nix with his four interceptions to zero touchdown passes through the first two weeks. Should be an easy dub for the Buccaneers, right?
Well, no.
Denver’s defense has been impressive, holding teams to just over 19 points per game through two weeks. They have a few studs on that side of the ball, most notably Patrick Surtain who will likely be tasked with shutting down Mike Evans. So where do the Bucs expose the Denver defense? In the run game.
Denver’s defense has given up almost 300 rushing yards already this season, so this is finally the time that the run game with Rachaad White and Bucky Irving can get going. However, the Bucs have a bigger issue - and that’s not falling into the trap.
NFL players are human and they can get caught up in the same emotions as everyone else - and a lot of people are looking back at what the Bucs just did in Detroit while looking ahead to the gauntlet of games starting in week four - Philly, Atlanta twice, New Orleans, Baltimore, Kansas City, San Francisco - so it’s really easy to overlook Denver and assume it’s going to be an easy win.
Sean Payton knows this Bucs team and knows Todd Bowles all too well for it to be easy. He may not have the roster he had in New Orleans but he does have the history and experience of knowing what he can do to beat a Todd Bowles defense. If these players aren’t at their best, there could be an upset brewing in Tampa.
There’s no question that the Buccaneers are a far better team than Denver from top to bottom - but the Ravens are a better team than the Raiders and just lost to them last week. The Bengals are a better team than the Patriots and they lost to New England at home in week one. Upsets happen every single week if you aren’t prepared.
Bowles and Coen have to have these guys ready like they did for Detroit. This can’t be one of those games that the Bucs play down to the level of their opponent - it needs to be full throttle from the jump and do not let up. At home, the Bucs need to play the way they did against Washington and score on just about every drive, not giving the Broncos or Payton a sliver of hope starting with the opening kick.
Trap games are real, the chess match is real. The Bucs need to keep their eyes and focus solely on the game directly ahead and not fall into the trap of looking ahead. Otherwise, this could be a game the Bucs have no business losing but they snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
The Buccaneers are all too familiar with the head coach that’s coming into their house on Sunday. For years, Sean Payton terrorized Bucs fans as the Saints constantly get the better of them. This time around, he doesn’t have Drew Brees at the helm. Instead, it’s rookie Bo Nix with his four interceptions to zero touchdown passes through the first two weeks. Should be an easy dub for the Buccaneers, right?
Well, no.
Denver’s defense has been impressive, holding teams to just over 19 points per game through two weeks. They have a few studs on that side of the ball, most notably Patrick Surtain who will likely be tasked with shutting down Mike Evans. So where do the Bucs expose the Denver defense? In the run game.
Denver’s defense has given up almost 300 rushing yards already this season, so this is finally the time that the run game with Rachaad White and Bucky Irving can get going. However, the Bucs have a bigger issue - and that’s not falling into the trap.
NFL players are human and they can get caught up in the same emotions as everyone else - and a lot of people are looking back at what the Bucs just did in Detroit while looking ahead to the gauntlet of games starting in week four - Philly, Atlanta twice, New Orleans, Baltimore, Kansas City, San Francisco - so it’s really easy to overlook Denver and assume it’s going to be an easy win.
Sean Payton knows this Bucs team and knows Todd Bowles all too well for it to be easy. He may not have the roster he had in New Orleans but he does have the history and experience of knowing what he can do to beat a Todd Bowles defense. If these players aren’t at their best, there could be an upset brewing in Tampa.
There’s no question that the Buccaneers are a far better team than Denver from top to bottom - but the Ravens are a better team than the Raiders and just lost to them last week. The Bengals are a better team than the Patriots and they lost to New England at home in week one. Upsets happen every single week if you aren’t prepared.
Bowles and Coen have to have these guys ready like they did for Detroit. This can’t be one of those games that the Bucs play down to the level of their opponent - it needs to be full throttle from the jump and do not let up. At home, the Bucs need to play the way they did against Washington and score on just about every drive, not giving the Broncos or Payton a sliver of hope starting with the opening kick.
Trap games are real, the chess match is real. The Bucs need to keep their eyes and focus solely on the game directly ahead and not fall into the trap of looking ahead. Otherwise, this could be a game the Bucs have no business losing but they snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
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