The Denver Broncos are looking to avoid an 0-3 start on the road this Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the team begins their first of a two-game East Coast road trip.
Denver Broncos three matchups to watch for vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
While the Denver Broncos offense is a big focal point of where the team needs to improve, the defense will have their hands full this weekend as they face an offense that’s averaging 28.5 points per game after two weeks. What matchups will impact this area?
Patrick Surtain II vs. Mike Evans
Patrick Surtain II’s tour of covering the opposing team’s number-one wide receiver continues. The problem this week for Denver’s secondary is that they are preparing to face two really good receiving options. Surtain will likely follow around Mike Evans, who comes into Sunday’s game with eight catches on the year and two touchdowns after two weeks of play.
Evans always features a tough catch radius at 6-foot-5, but Surtain’s height and athleticism helps equalize some of the traits he has. However, in the past two weeks, Surtain has been on the receiving end of several defensive penalties, some that were warranted and some that were questionable. This will be an element to watch for in Sunday’s game.
Ja’Quan McMillian/Riley Moss vs. Chris Godwin
Chris Godwin also moves around quite a bit for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but has seen plenty of reps inside the slot this season, where he’s seemingly more comfortable than he has been in recent years. Godwin leads the team in receiving this year so far with 200 yards, and he’s seen a high volume of targets, with 15 catches on 16 targets in Tampa Bay’s first two games.
There will be times he lines up outside, and that’s where Riley Moss will more than likely guard him. When he moves to the inside, that’s where Ja’Quan McMillian will likely line up against him. Denver’s coverage from the cornerback spot the past two weeks has been a bright spot for them, but the skill players Tampa Bay has combined with quarterback Baker Mayfield will likely be their biggest test yet.
Baker Mayfield vs. Broncos defense
Denver cannot let Baker Mayfield preheat the oven on Sunday. He’s off to a great start on the year, completing 73.5% of his passes (36-of-49), 474 yards, and five touchdowns compared to just one interception on the season. The Broncos know very well what Baker can do, considering he carved them up two years ago on Christmas Day with the quick passing game.
On top of how he’s playing operationally from the QB position, he also has eight rushing attempts on the year for 55 yards, with one rushing touchdown. Of his eight rushing attempts so far this year, he’s moved the chains on four different scrambles in two weeks. His mobility is still a very underrated element of his game — combine that with receiving talent like Godwin, Evans, rookie Jalen McMillan, and Rachaad White out of the backfield, and Denver’s defense suddenly has a lot of potential threats to account for.
The Denver Broncos will take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday at 11:00 a.m. MT.