Broncos want to score their first win in the duel against Buccaneers

LOS ANGELES — Do good, but better.

Wide receiver Courtland Sutton’s message before the Broncos’ Week 3 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0) was simple and direct.

“Good is simply not enough for our current situation,” Sutton said Wednesday.

Sutton's quote was specifically referring to the Broncos' efforts in the red zone, but Denver will look to do “good, better” in many areas to earn the team's first win of the 2024 season.

As the Broncos look to make that progress, Denver's clash with the Buccaneers kicks off a two-game road trip that will provide important insight into this year's team.

“It's not an all-or-nothing thing, but we'll have a better idea of ​​where this team is going to be after the next two weeks,” head coach Sean Payton said Monday.

For the Broncos to inflict their first loss of 2024 on the Bucs, they must address the challenge of their 0-2 start.

“There's still no way around it,” Payton said. “We have to look at this head on and get well quickly.”

Here's a look at two questions that will determine whether Denver can win in Tampa:

CAN THE BRONCOS MAKE PROGRESS IN THE RED ZONE?

If the Broncos want to pull off an upset win at Raymond James Stadium, they will have to use their red zone performances to their advantage.

After two weeks, the Broncos have scored just one of seven touchdowns inside the 20-yard line, and they have also lost the ball twice.

“I think like anything else, it's an ongoing process,” quarterback Bo Nix said Wednesday. “We've got to continue to find ways to move the ball and gain just a few yards so we can get the ball close enough to get in goal-line situations and get the ball in the box. The red zone is always difficult no matter what level you play at because the field gets smaller. The defense doesn't have to cover as much ground. We just have to do a good job of being efficient in the red zone and continuing to get forward.”

Nix, who joins fellow rookie quarterbacks Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels in search of their first touchdown pass of the season, scored the Broncos' only red-zone touchdown by scoring a touchdown against Seattle.

It won't be easy to improve against head coach Todd Bowles and the Buccaneers, who held the Lions to 1 of 7 in the red zone in a Week 2 win.

“We went through the red zone report with them,” Payton said Friday. “We have a two-week study, but then we have a full year study. They were one of the top five red zone defenses. Todd does a good job of mixing it up. There's a strong front line. That's one of the first stats on defense that I think is really important. If you try to do some studies with playoff teams and then look at red zone defense, they're generally pretty good.”

The Bucs are notably without safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and defensive lineman Calijah Kancey, and former Pro Bowler Vita Vea is questionable. Those injuries could potentially help the Broncos turn their season start in the red zone around. If the Broncos can convert even a few field goals into touchdowns, that could be enough to put Denver in a position to pull off a win.