Bucs 'Fail' in First Loss of Season Against Broncos

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffered their first loss of 2024, failing to do much on either side of the ball in the 26-7 loss to the Denver Broncos.

Sep 22, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6), guard Cody Mauch (69) and teammates walk off the field during the first half at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were looking to start their season 3-0 for the first time since 2005 and just the fifth time in franchise history when they faced off against the Denver Broncos from Raymond James Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately for them (and the Bucs faithful) that didn't come to fruition as they were practically run out of their stadium by a team that didn't have much business being in the game to begin with, losing 26-7.

Tampa Bay didn't want to look ahead to their upcoming matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles, but that is exactly how they looked when out on the field vs. the Broncos on Sunday. The offense sputtered, couldn't run, had trouble blocking Denver's defensive line and we even saw our first glimpse of bad Baker Mayfield this season as he put himself into multiple sack situations and threw an ugly interception.

While the offense was only able to muster a single touchdown on the day, the defense also struggled as they allowed Sean Payton and rookie quarterback Bo Nix to dice them up all day. The defensive line struggled to get any pressure and the defensive secondary looked to be in the wrong spots at moments, allowing Nix to get outside the pocket and find his receivers downfield.

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Each week CBS Sports grades out how each team did in their matchup, and according to John Breech the Buccaneers failed in their performance against the Broncos as he gave them an 'F'.

"With the Buccaneers sitting at 2-0 and Denver sitting at 0-2, it feels like the Bucs overlooked their opponent here, because they got punched early and never really responded," Breech wrote. "Baker Mayfield never really looked comfortable and that's because the Broncos defense spent most of the day camped out in Tampa Bay's backfield (Mayfield was sacked seven times). As bad as the Bucs were on offense, their defense was worse. This was just a disastrous day all around for a team that fell asleep at the wheel."

Needless to say, it wasn't pretty by any means and the fans didn't appreciate the product on the field either as the stands started to empty early in the fourth quarter. The Buccaneers will look to get things back on track when they face off against NFC rivals the Philadelphia Eagles this upcoming Sunday from Tampa Bay.

Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2024 season.

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