3 Buccaneers to blame for humbling Week 3 loss to Broncos

Many were ready to anoint the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as legitimate contenders in the NFC after their impressive 2-0 start to the 2024 campaign. However, that may have changed -- quickly -- following their Week 3 home loss to the Denver Broncos.

Denver entered the contest 0-2 and looked lifeless for most of their first two contests. Their offense, led by rookie quarterback Bo Nix, seemed lost and limited. But none of that mattered in Tampa, with the Broncos handily defeating the Bucs 26-7.

Understandably, the Bucs were considerable favorites heading into their showdown against the Broncos. Per ESPN Bet, Tampa Bay gave 5.5 points to Denver, though they couldn't even win outright. So, what went wrong?

Tampa Bay didn't get their standard production from many players, but these three performances were the most glaring in the Bucs' poor showing versus Denver.  

3 Buccaneers to blame for humbling Week 3 loss to Broncos

3. Mike Evans, WR

Mike Evans spent most of his day getting shadowed by Broncos star cornerback Patrick Surtain II, and it was a quiet day for the stud pass-catcher.

With Surtain and Evans matching up on 75 percent of coverage snaps, Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield looked elsewhere. In fact, the Tampa signal-caller only targeted the Denver defensive back once throughout the entire game.

Evans caught two of the three passes thrown to him for 17 measly yards. The Bucs sorely missed his field-stretching in the upset thrashing at the hands of Denver. He got neutralized by Surtain's presence, and it hurt Tampa Bay.

2. Baker Mayfield, QB 

Part of why Mayfield struggled in Week 3 was because Evans got blanketed by Surtain. Nonetheless, it's on the Tampa Bay gunslinger to adjust accordingly and find other ways to attack when defenses take his top option away,

Mayfield completed 25 of his 33 passes for 163 yards, a touchdown and an interception, taking seven sacks for a loss of 31 yards. Denver got pressure on him early and often, which gave the 29-year-old fits.

Tampa Bay recorded a pedestrian 3.3 yards per pass, highlighting Mayfield and the aerial attack's woes. The lack of big plays made the Bucs offense stale, especially after Denver took an early 17-0 lead.

The Broncos forced Mayfield into posting his lowest total quarterback rating of the season -- by far (10.1). Overall, it was a day to forget for the veteran.

1. Rachaad White, RB

Tampa Bay can't afford brutal showings from Mayfield and Evans due to their nonexistent ground game. As the leader of their backfield, running back Rachaad White bears most of the responsibility. 

White ran for 17 yards on six carries in the beating by the Broncos. He couldn't get much of anything going, which has been a recurring theme thus far. Perhaps the Tampa Bay coaching staff sees that since rookie tailback Bucky Irving finally saw more rushing opportunities than the incumbent starter.

Irving has out-gained White in Tampa's first three contests, with their most sizeable yardage gap yet in Week 3 (53).

Through Tampa Bay's opening trio of 2024 regular-season games, White has amassed a lowly 66 rushing yards on 31 carries, good for 2.1 yards per tote. His ineffectiveness has negatively impacted the entire Bucs' offense, which proved particularly true in the stunning outcome of their meeting with Denver.