For the first time in almost twenty years, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a chance to start the season 3-0. The only thing standing in their way is Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos, which is hardly a tough test.
It's more of a trap game than anything else, but Bo Nix hasn't needed much help getting himself in trouble and the Broncos defense can only do so much. Bucs fans know this life all too well, but they're on the other side of things for once.
What the Bucs can't afford to do is squander an opportunity to get out to a 3-0 start, given how tough the upcoming stretch of games is. If they pull that off, it'll need to happen without some key players on both sides of the ball.
Full Inactives List for Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3 (Updated)
Here's a look at who is officially out for today's game against the Broncos:
Player | Position | Injury |
|---|---|---|
Antoine Winfield Jr. | S | Foot |
Calijah Kancey | DE | Calf |
Luke Goedeke | OT | Concussion |
Kam Johnson | WR | Ankle |
Vita Vea | NT | MCL sprain |
Devin Culp | TE | Healthy Inactive |
Jose Ramirez | LB | Healthy Inactive |
Buccaneers defenses will be without Antoine Winfield Jr., Calijah Kancey, and Vita Vea
While it's not ideal to be without a Pro Bowl lineup of players on defense, perhaps this is the best week for such a thing to happen. The Broncos represent a trap game, but they're not a team that the Bucs should lose to. It might not be pretty, but Tampa Bay can afford to be without guys like Winfield, Kancey, and Vea against Denver more so than against New Orleans and Baltimore.
That's the case laid before the team this Sunday. The Bucs have ruled out a handful of their best defensive players, but the idea is to get them healthy for games that will be a lot tougher than Week 3.
Tampa Bay is about to enter a gauntlet of games that will tell us a lot about how good the team is. Next week is a game against an Eagles team that will be backed into a corner, followed by back-to-back divisional games against Atlanta and New Orleans, with a Monday Night Football showdown with Lamar Jackson and the Ravens after that.
It's not going to be an easy stretch, which is why the Bucs can't take Sunday's game against the Broncos for granted. Getting out with a 3-0 record will be huge, and while key players are missing, there's no use in risking things now when those guys will be infinitely more valuable later.
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