Hungry Tampa Bay Bucs aim to capitalise on strong start

Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles has taken a swipe at the franchise's doomsayers, declaring their critics have been forced to eat humble pie.

Of the seven NFC playoff teams from last season, the Buccaneers are the only ones to open 2-0 this season and will try to remain perfect when they host the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

The Buccaneers earned a 20-16 road victory last weekend against the Detroit Lions, turning in just enough defence, and opportunistic offense behind quarterback Baker Mayfield, into a 2-0 record for the fourth consecutive season.

"We're not out to prove everybody wrong, we're out to prove ourselves right," Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said. "We're hungry, we're trying to get to the playoffs and win the Super Bowl.

"The same people that are patting us on the back are the same people that were talking about us and expecting us to win none."

But the last time Tampa Bay went 3-0 was in 2005, including a 25-11 home loss to the Philadelphia Eagles during Week 3 last season.

The Buccaneers exacted a measure of revenge with their win Sunday over the Lions, who eliminated Tampa Bay in last year's NFC Divisional round of the playoffs.

"We know it's a long season," Buccaneers cornerback Zyon McCollum said. "We went 2-0 last year and you all saw what happened. So the leadership on this team has been keeping us together and keeping us grinding, staying humble and focusing on the Broncos."

Humility is key, especially since Tampa Bay have the 28th-ranked defence in total yards allowed at 381 per game. They have offset that by allowing 18.0 points per game, tied for sixth best in the league.

Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix will try to expose a Buccaneers defence that is 29th overall in passing defence with 242.5 yards allowed per game.

Denver (0-2) gave up just 13 points to the Pittsburgh Steelers last week on 117 passing yards, but scored on just a pair of fourth-quarter field goals from Will Lutz.

Nix had 246 yards passing last week but threw two interceptions and now has four in two games, with no touchdowns. One of those interceptions came in the end zone in the third quarter after Denver had advanced to the Pittsburgh six-yard line.

The empty drive was otherwise one to remember, with Nix connecting on passes of 26 and 49 yards. Wide receiver Josh Reynolds caught the 49-yarder on a trick play and has nine receptions for 138 of Nix's 384 total yards.

Denver are 29th in total offense at 263 yards per game and are one of 10 teams averaging fewer than 100 yards rushing per game. The Buccaneers also are on that list.

The Broncos will lean into a defence that are ninth in the NFL with 277.5 yards allowed per game. After Denver play at Tampa Bay, they will stay on the road and head to West Virginia to prepare for the New York Jets in Week 4.

"It's not a make-or-break, but we're going to have a better idea of where this team is going to be after these next two weeks going on the road," Denver head coach Sean Payton said.