Sean Payton still has Todd Bowles, Bucs' number in regular season It will go down in the Las Vegas books as an upset, but really, no one should be surprised. The winless Broncos and coach Sean Payton humiliated the 2-0, feel-good Bucs 26-7 at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday. Despite being nearly a touchdown underdog, the Broncos did it with rookie quarterback Bo Nix playing like John Elway, passing for 216 yards and rushing for 47 yards and a score. The Bucs claimed it wasn't just a case of the second-youngest team in the NFL taking an opponent lightly, although clearly they did. "They out-played us, they out-coached us, they out-hit us and they won the game," Todd Bowles said. "We didn't take them lightly. We didn't play well. We've got to coach them better, we've got to play it better and that starts with me." No truer words were spoken. Payton, who spent 16 years in New Orleans before taking over Denver last season, is 7-0 in the regular season against the Bucs since Bowles started calling the defense in 2019. His teams have averaged 29.7 points per game. He also has now beaten Bowles with four different quarterbacks: Drew Brees, Jameis Winston, Taysom Hill and now Nix. Of course, Bowles got the one that mattered most, beating Payton's Saints in an NFC division playoff game at New Orleans on the way to a Super Bowl 55 win for the 2020 season. Payton would gladly trade all those regular-season wins for a shot at another conference championship. But the Bucs coaches and players did a poor job of recalibrating emotionally and physically after their revenge win at Detroit last week. "Those guys just had that extra oomph, you know what I mean?" linebacker SirVocea Dennis said. "They were 0-2. They're probably pissed off during the week, pissed off the first snap of the game and it showed it. They came out and did what they needed to do. Those guys came in with a vengeance, even though we didn't do anything to them. We were just next on the list." It's also fair to say the Bucs' growing list of injuries finally caught up with them. Playing without defensive tackles Vita Vea, Calijah Kancy and All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr., the Bucs were unable to sack Nix Sunday or make many plays on the football. A week ago, they failed to sack Lions quarterback Jared Goff, although they hit him 10 times in 55 pass attempts. On Sunday, Nix dropped back 36 times and was only hit twice. Offensively, the Bucs badly miss starting right tackle Luke Goedeke, who was inactive for a second straight game with a concussion. The Broncos sacked Mayfield seven times, the most allowed in a game by the Bucs since October 2001, when the Steelers had 10. Without time, Mayfield passed for only 163 yards Sunday, with no plays longer than 13 yards in the air. Backup right tackle Justin Skule, who has been a bit of a turnstile, wasn't the only one allowing hits on Mayfield. The Broncos dialled up some blitzes and linebacker Dondrea Tillman got home twice. It didn't help that the Bucs were down 20-7 at halftime and never mounted a serious threat after that. The only highlight was Mayfield's 5-yard TD pass to Chris Godwin to cut the lead to 10 points with 1:50 remaining in the first half. "Being down like that slinging the ball, you know what's coming," Tristan Wirfs said. "It's never fun." You got the feeling Payton's confidence was soaring when the Broncos won the toss and took the football. Then Nix, who had been under fire in Denver for his lacklustre start that included zero touchdowns and four interceptions, went to work. He had the Broncos in the end zone in seven plays, including a 31-yard strike to Josh Reynolds. Nix did the rest, scrambling 3 yards for a touchdown. "This kid's been confident," Payton said of Nix. "This kid's been through Auburn. He transferred. He's won, and won, and won and won. And honestly, I haven't seen him flinch." Bowles wasn't the only one who got out-coached Sunday. Offensive coordinator Liam Coen didn't get rookie running back Bucky Irving on the field until late in the first quarter. Irving finished with 70 yards on nine carries, including a 32-yard run. Starter Rachaad White had 17 yards on six attempts. "This is a good lesson for our team overall," Mayfield said. "You have to prepare like you're playing a playoff game every week or else this can happen." But then again, that's what Payton does when he plays against Bowles and the Bucs. Unfortunately, the schedule gets tougher from here. The Bucs host the Eagles next Sunday - with former quarterback Tom Brady back in town calling the game - before playing at Atlanta on Thursday night Oct. 3 and at New Orleans on Oct. 13. The Bucs will need to play better. Bowles will need to coach better. Fortunately, he won't see Payton again unless it's in the Super Bowl. "It does hurt," Mike Evans said. "It felt like they wanted it more when we were out there. They were talking trash being physical, and we were just a little flat." Rick Stroud, Tampa Bay Times, published 23 September 2024