Any time the reigning Super Bowl champions come to town, it’s a big deal. When the Denver Broncos come to Raymond James Stadium in week four, they will do so with a new quarterback, but they will still boast the same dominant defense.
One of the most cliche sayings in the world of sports goes something like this: if you want to be taken seriously by the best teams in the league, you have to at least hang with the best teams in the league and not get completely blown out of the water by them. Or… something like that. Bad jokes aside, the Bucs have fallen to the lowest level of the NFL food chain. If they want to change that, beating the team that is at the top of the food chain is a gigantic step.
One of the most intriguing parts of this matchup is Jameis Winston and what should be an increasingly-improved Tampa Bay offense against the NFL’s best defense. A defense led by Von Miller, along with former Buc Aqib Talib in the secondary, will be a tough test for a maturing offense, but if the Bucs can compete with the Broncos, it will bode well for the future.
There is some uncertainty surrounding the quarterback position, especially after the selection of Memphis’ Paxton Lynch in the first round, so if the Tampa Bay defense is what it should be under Mike Smith, this game suddenly becomes more competitive.
Next: October 10: at Carolina Panthers