Five key takeaways from the Broncos win over Tampa

Well, it took a while, but the Denver Broncos finally got a win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

Denver put together a 27-7 victory that took nearly five hours to complete. With 7:30 remaining in the game, lightning in the Tampa area caused the NFL to delay the game nearly 90 minutes. But this Denver Broncos team keeps finding ways to respond when they need to, and Sunday was just more of the same.

Despite losing starting quarterback Trevor Siemian late in the second quarter, the Broncos stepped up to help rookie quarterback Paxton Lynch get a win on the road.

The Broncos are now 4-0, and finding ways to win, even when things don’t go their way.

Here is a look at how the Broncos stayed perfect so far in 2016.

5. The special teams made some impactful plays

Kicker Brandon McManus was perfect on the day, going two for two on field goals and three for three on extra points, and Jordan Norwood was solid returning two punts for 12 yards, but I am actually talking about the play of punter Riley Dixon, who enjoyed the best day of his very young NFL career.

Going into Sunday’s game, Dixon had punted 10 times with a 46.2-yard average. He had just one punt downed inside the opposing 20-yard line.

On Sunday, Dixon punted seven times, averaging 47.1 yards per attempt, and pinned Tampa inside their own 20 five different times.

Paired with the Denver defense, Dixon’s punting can be a very potent weapon, forcing teams to go longer distances and limit the plays in their arsenal.

Riley Dixon contributed to the win on Sunday.

4. The defense put some serious pressure on Jameis Winston

Derek Wolfe was a monster on Sunday, as he chased down the Buccaneers second year quarterback again and again. Wolfe finished the game with 2.5 sacks and five quarterback hits.

And he wasn’t the only one.

In all, the Broncos chased and harassed Winston all day, sacking him five times. They hit him 16 times, and they forced three turnovers.

As a result, the young quarterback failed to get comfortable and failed to put together drives of any significance after the first quarter.

3. The redzone offense produced touchdowns, not field goals

The Broncos offense was sputtering early, as they earned just three first downs prior to the departure of Siemian late in the second quarter.

But they were given a few gifts courtesy of the defense, and they capitalized on them.

The Broncos were given excellent field position by two Tampa turnovers, and they turned them both into touchdowns.

Trevor Siemain threw a touchdown to Demaryius Thomas, and C.J. Anderson plunged into the end zone from a yard away to give the Broncos a 14-0 lead.

The Denver offense finished 3 for 4 in the red zone on Sunday, and putting up touchdowns instead of field goals definitely set an early tone for the day.

2. Paxton Lynch didn’t crash the car

Of course, the big news of the day was the loss of starting quarterback Trevor Siemian to a shoulder injury late in the second quarter.

Siemian had been under constant pressure early, and when Tampa defensive tackle Clinton McDonald body slammed him to the turf, his day was over.

Enter rookie Paxton Lynch.

Lynch took the keys to the car, and not only didn’t he crash it, but he drove it pretty fast himself.

The rookie quarterback would finish the game 14 of 24 for 170 yards and his first touchdown pass, a 5-yarder to Emmanuel Sanders in the fourth quarter.

But the most important statistic for Lynch might have been the zero in the turnover column.

With the Denver defense and the weapons that this team has, whoever pilots this offense just has to get the ball to the correct people, and not make the big mistake.

Lynch accomplished both of those feats on Sunday.

1. Aqib Talib really enjoyed a return to Tampa

Denver Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib spent his first four seasons in Tampa after being drafted by the Bucs in 2008. Talib showed on Sunday that he still enjoys playing in Western Florida. He just prefers to wear an opposing jersey now.

Talib intercepted Jameis Winston on the fourth play of the game and set up the Broncos’ first touchdown.

Then he did it again just three drives later.

Talib’s second and third interceptions of 2016 helped the Broncos get an early lead on Sunday, despite the offense sputtering a little.

As usual, if the Denver Broncos need a big play, Aqib Talib has a knack for providing it.