After 276 days, the Denver Broncos are back in the win column.

The Broncos traveled to Tampa to take on the Buccaneers, and dominated from start to finish, posting a final score of 26-7. Denver is now 1-2, and the Bucs fell to 2-1.

The Broncos will head to West Virginia for a week of practice, before taking on the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on Sunday.

Sean Payton wanted to send a message

The Broncos made a strange decision at the beginning of the game.

Typically, teams who win the coin toss elect to defer. Instead of receiving the kickoff at the beginning of the game, they receive after halftime. This gives the team a chance to score just before and just after halftime, a sort of two-for-one.

“Every once in a while, you send a little message,” head coach Sean Payton said after the game.

Payton’s Broncos elected to receive the opening kickoff. That’s a message.

Why did Payton think Sunday was the right time to send the message?

“We felt like we had a good set of openers.”

Payton was correct, as the Broncos rolled down the field and took a quick 7-0 lead.

Bo broke out

Rookie quarterback Bo Nix played his best game of the season on Sunday.

He completed 25 of 36 pass attempts for 216 yards. He ran for 47 yards and a touchdown. He didn’t turn the ball over.

After two rough outings, the rookie got into a rhythm.

“We went out there and executed at a high level,” Nix said. “I think that’s what it’s supposed to feel like. You get back in the locker room and everybody is really excited. You put so much into the week. You put so much effort, time [and] energy [in]. Those are what those moments are about. That’s what you want to get to. You want to get to those postgame celebrations.”

The Broncos beat up Baker

While the Broncos’ explosive offense is the biggest storyline of the day, the defensive performance shouldn’t be ignored.

After putting up 57 total points in games against the Commanders and Lions, the Bucs only managed seven against the Broncos. Denver’s seven sacks on Baker Mayfield were the key.

But Payton didn’t give all of the credit to his front.

“I think we made him hold [the ball],” Payton said. “I think we made him hold it some. That is a credit to coverage. I haven’t seen the tape, but I think we made him hold it.”

While the secondary deserves credit for making Mayfield hold the ball, the Broncos’ pass rush deserves its due; the Broncos’ seven sacks are the most in a single game since 1996. Six different Broncos registered sacks. Outside linebacker Dondrea Tillman produced two in his NFL debut.

Pat bounces back

Cornerback Pat Surtain II allowed few catches in the first two weeks of the season, but he drew a league-leading five flags.

On Sunday, Surtain put together his best performance of the year against his most talented opponent yet: Mike Evans, a 6-foot-5 behemoth, who has produced at least 1,000 yards in each of his 10 NFL seasons.

Payton had challenged Surtain before the matchup.

“I said, ‘Hey, if [New Orleans Saints Head Coach] Dennis Allen wants to do a quick trade for one week, I’ll take [Marshon] Lattimore and you go there and then we’ll bring you back,’ you know, giving him a hard time,” the caoch said. “Lattimore has always defended Evans well.”

Payton had Surtain watch 35 snaps of Lattimore vs. Evans. They talked about the matchup on the plane.

Then Surtain held Evans to two catches for 17 yards. Evans had only been held under 20 yards once in the past two seasons. Payton was impressed.

“It was good… No trade.”

Badie makes his case for more touches

The Broncos gave 24-year-old running back Tyler Badie one carry in their Week 2 loss to the Steelers and he produced 16 yards. But they didn’t get the ball back to him.

The Broncos emphasized Badie’s touches on Sunday, and he produced again. He picked up 70 yards on nine catches. His 43-yarder was the longest of the season for Denver.

After the game, Payton said that rotating two running backs is easy, but feeding three running backs can be tricky. Payton made a point to get the ball to Badie, the Broncos’ third running back, on Sunday.

“There were a handful of plays designed with his name on it and then he’s running well and so he gets some more plays, but we’ll keep working that combination,” Payton said. “I was pleased that we were able to run the ball.”

Tampa is Broncos Country

While the Broncos were more than 1,500 miles from home on Sunday, they feltright at home in Tampa.

“Look, we travel well,” Payton said of the Broncos’ fanbase. “So, towards the end of games, when you travel well, you become the majority, not the minority, and you feel that.”