Upgrade Your Fandom

Join the Ultimate DNVR Sports Community!

Denver Broncos at Tampa Bay Buccaneers: What to watch for

Ken Pomponio Avatar
October 1, 2016

 

Who: Denver Broncos (3-0) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-2)

What: NFL Week 4

When: 2:05 p.m. MDT, Sunday, Oct. 2

Where: Raymond James Stadium; Tampa, Fla.

TV: CBS

Announcers: Spero Dedes, Solomon Wilcots

Radio: KOA (850 AM), The Fox (103.5 FM)

Odds: Broncos -3, O/U 43

Notable: The Broncos have won six of the eight all-time meetings, including the last three. The Buccaneers’ wins came in 1993 and 1999, and all of the last six games have been decided by eight points or fewer. … The Orange & Blue own the NFL’s longest current win streak at eight games and have won 18 of 22 contests under coach Gary Kubiak. … The Bucs, meanwhile, have lost six of their last seven games since entering Week 14 last season with a 6-6 record. … In QB Jameis Winston, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 draft, Denver will be facing its third No. 1-overall pick in four games this season, having already defeated the Panthers’ Cam Newton (2011) and the Colts’ Andrew Luck (2012). … With last Sunday’s win in Cincinnati, the Broncos improved their NFL-best road/neutral-site record to 29-14 (.674) since the start of the 2011 season. During that same time frame, coincidentally, the Bucs have posted a league-worst 12-29 (.293) home record. … Entering Sunday, Tampa Bay is the only NFL team to have allowed more than 100 points with 101 in three games.

What to Watch For

  • Ground revival? After averaging 141 rushing yards over their first two games, the Broncos were held to 52 on 23 carries, averaging 2.3 yards per attempt, in Cincy. C.J. Anderson (37 yards on 14 carries) will attempt to get untracked against a Tampa D that ranks 11th in the league against the run (98 yards per game, 3.5 per carry) but did surrender a season-high 137 yards and two TDs against Todd Gurley and the Rams in a 37-32 home loss last Sunday. Denver will attempt to do so without starting right tackle Donald Stephenson and tight end Virgil Green, who will both miss their second straight game due to injury.
  • Pressuring Jameis: Through Week 3, Winston and the Bucs had attempted the most passes in the league (142), but were tied for the seventh-fewest sacks allowed (five) for a strong 3.4 sack-percentage rate. Winston, however, leads all NFL QBs with eight turnovers (six interceptions, two lost fumbles), including one of each last week against the Rams. Von Miller and the Denver D, meanwhile, rank second with 12 sacks and third with a 10.3 sack percentage and have forced four QB turnovers in three games. It will be a matchup to monitor, especially if the Broncos can grab a two-score lead.
  • Off-target rookie: The Bucs moved up in the second round to draft kicker – yes, kicker – Roberto Aguayo, and the rookie’s performance so far is making the maneuver look even worse. Aguayo has made only one of three field-goal attempts and has missed one of his eight extra-point tries this season. He misfired on one of each last week against the Rams, causing the Bucs to attempt a pair of two-point conversions in the fourth quarter. Neither was successful and that of course turned out to be huge in the five-point home loss.

Scroll to next article

Don't like ads?
Don't like ads?
Don't like ads?