Few people in Denver Broncos Country want to talk about a week 3 game being a must-win. History, however, may prove to be a formidable foe. Since 1990, 162 teams have started 0-3. Of those winless teams, only four (2.5%) have gone on to make the playoffs. Of those four teams, only 2 (1.2%) have gone on to win their division, and none have advanced to the Super Bowl. Week 3 looks like a must-win game for the Denver Broncos.
Must Win For the Ground Game
The Denver Broncos’ running game has been ineffective through two games. They rank 27th in total rushing yards, averaging 3.7 yards per carry, and the leading rusher is rookie Quarterback Bo Nix. Is this the week where head coach/play caller Sean Payton commits to running the football to help his young quarterback?
The Broncos have a total of 44 rushing attempts through the first two weeks of the 2024 season. There are only seven teams with fewer rushing attempts than the Broncos. The concern for the Broncos moving forward is that Bo Nix has nine of those attempts. That puts the Broncos running back group at 35 attempts (17.5 attempts per game). That would place the Broncos at the bottom of the table in the National Football League. The Broncos must commit to running the ball more than 17 times and win the ground this week in Tampa Bay if they want to succeed against a very talented Buccaneer team.
Must Win For Bo Nix
For the better part of the last seven seasons, members of the Denver Broncos have been saying all the right things—words like “We have the right group to win.” This week has been no different. Courtland Sutton, in an interview Thursday after practice: “Good just isn’t good enough…it’s going to take all of us”. Good clearly has not been good enough from Sutton, Josh Reyolds, or any of the offense.
For all the pressure of a 12th overall pick, Nix cannot be asked to carry this team alone. He certainly has areas that he could improve, but a rookie quarterback needs an offensive line to protect him and open holes for running backs. He can’t have veteran receivers batting down balls like defensive backs. He can’t have playmakers who don’t make plays.
Nix needs to know that the team around him can just do it. The team around Nix needs to win their individual matchups. The team around him needs to win every play, every drive, and every quarter. The team around the quarterback just needs to let Nix know they can make plays for him.
Must Win For The Defense
A few short seasons ago (2018), Vance Joseph was the coach who should not be named. For two years, Joseph chewed his gum on the Denver Broncos sidelines while the rest of the NFL chewed his team up and spit them out. How things have changed. Joseph, the Denver Broncos Defensive Coordinator, has his defensive side playing at a very high level through the first two weeks.
The Denver Broncos are ninth in total defense, fourth in passing defense, and 23rd in rushing defense. The run defense can use some improvement, but the Broncos first two opponents (Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers) have really good backs and a strong commitment to running the ball.
Keys To Victory
The Denver Broncos defense has kept them competitive. Heading into Tampa Bay, the defense faces a good passing attack. Baker Mayfield has turned his career around, and they have two talented receivers, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Both receivers tallied two touchdowns early on. If Broncos Cornerbacks Patrick Surtain and Riley Moss can limit these dynamic receivers, the Denver Broncos will take their chances against the Buccaneers ground game.
The defense must win against Tampa Bay because the offense has yet to show that they can overcome a less-than-perfect game from the defense. It is a must-win game for the Denver Broncos if they have any thoughts of talking about the playoffs.
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