The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-1) fell to the Denver Broncos (1-2) 26-7 on Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.
The Bo Nix-led Denver Broncos got things rolling early with a Bo Nix touchdown run from three yards out, giving Denver a seven-point lead. On the following drive, Baker Mayfield was intercepted by Brandon Jones, giving the Broncos great field position inside the ten-yard line, eventually setting up another Broncos touchdown. The second touchdown score was courtesy of Jaleel McLaughlin on 4th & goal, giving Denver a 14-0 lead over the Buccaneers late in the first quarter.
The Denver offense chewed up some clock in the second quarter before relying on Will Lutz to make his 43-yard field goal try, extending Denver's lead 17-0 over Tampa Bay with 9:25 left in the first half. The Buccaneers did answer with a score of their own later on in the quarter as Baker Mayfield connected with Chris Godwin on a 5-yard touchdown pass. Denver's lead was then 17-7 with 1:50 left in the first half. The Broncos weren't finished yet; Will Lutz added another field goal, this time from 38 yards out. Denver led Tampa Bay 20-7 heading into halftime.
Both offenses were sluggish coming out of the halftime intermission. In fact, both teams were held scoreless in the third quarter of the contest.
It didn't take long for the Broncos to change that, however, as Will Lutz made a 33-yard field goal to extend Denver's lead 23-7 early in the fourth quarter of play. This was then followed by another Will Lutz field goal, this time from 43 yards out, 26-7 the score with 7:30 left in the final quarter.
The Buccaneers now prepare to face the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, September 29th, in Tampa, Florida. Kickoff time is 1 PM ET, and you can hear the game on 97.9 WXTB-FM - The Mighty 98 Rock.
PHOTO COURTESY: GETTY IMAGES