TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-2) prepare to take on the defending Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos (3-0) this Sunday at Raymond James Stadium in what will be one of the toughest, if not the toughest, games of their season.
The Bucs already faced one of the premier pass rushes in the league last week in the Rams. It gets even harder this week -- the Broncos' defense can be downright devastating, and their quarterback, Trevor Siemian, has proven that he's more than capable of not just leading Gary Kubiak's offense, but taking it to new heights.
ESPN NFL Nation Broncos reporter Jeff Legwold gave us the inside scoop on six players to watch out for:
OFFENSE
QB Trevor Siemian: Every game it seems like Siemian reveals a little more of why he won the job in the preseason. In his first three career starts he has out-dueled Cam Newton, Andrew Luck and Andy Dalton. Last week the Bengals essentially played to see if Siemian could throw the Broncos out of trouble. Siemian threw them to a win with 312 passing yards and four touchdowns in his first road start. The Windermere, Florida, native figures to have plenty of family and friends in the seats Sunday. If Siemian keeps the level head he has shown to this point, those folks will see him operating an offense with two Pro Bowl players at wide receiver in Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders and a Pro Bowl running back in C.J. Anderson.
RT Donald Stephenson: Stephenson didn't play this past Sunday in Cincinnati because of a calf injury -- he didn't even make the trip -- and it would take a significant improvement for him to play against the Buccaneers. The Broncos struggled in that spot in his absence Sunday, as the Bengals were aggressive in rushing Stephenson's replacement -- Ty Sambrailo -- with some success. If Stephenson can't play, it will bear watching if the Broncos try Sambrailo again or move Michael Schofield to right tackle -- he started there last season before moving to right guard in camp -- or put Darrion Weems there.
WR Demaryius Thomas: Thomas suffered a hip injury on his second catch in the season opener and has received plenty of treatment since. It was a bump in the road for his desired bounce back from 2015, a season where Thomas said, "I didn't feel like that was the kind of season I wanted," because of some drops. Last week Thomas looked like he was closing on that bounce-back with a six-catch, 100-yard day against the Bengals. Thomas also has the two longest receptions of the season for the Broncos, a 44-yard catch-and-run against the Colts to go with a 55-yard touchdown against the Bengals.
DEFENSE
LB Shane Ray: Certainly Von Miller dictates how every team designs its protection schemes, but with DeMarcus Ware out with a fractured forearm, Ray is the player who will benefit from 1-on-1 match-ups as Miller fights his way through a sea of players on every rush. Ray, who was the Broncos' first-round pick in 2015, had three sacks against the Bengals and often found himself lined up across from tackle Andrew Whitworth, who has been a Pro Bowl selection. Ray has improved his hand work dramatically with daily sessions with Ware and Miller. Ray and outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett have played so well over the last two seasons that defensive coordinator Wade Phillips has often taken Ware and Miller out of games at the same time and put in Ray with Barrett.
CB Aqib Talib: The Broncos usually match up in the secondary – they do play some zone looks, but prefer man-to-man as their base coverage – and Talib often gets the biggest receiver. Last week, he most often matched up on A.J. Green. The Buccaneers have plenty of size on the outside with Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans. The 6-foot-5, 231-pound Evans will likely draw Talib a lot. If the Buccaneers use their two-tight end package, then Chris Harris Jr. likely would get Jackson much of the time, but Harris moves into the slot when the Broncos go to their dime look.
NT Sylvester Williams: The Bengals turned back the clock last week and decided, despite Dalton entering the game with the most passing yards in the league, it was better to try to pound the ball against the Broncos. So Cincinnati used a counter play with effectiveness early in the game with 65 yards rushing on their first drive, much of it right into the middle of the Broncos' front. Jeremy Hill had all 65 of those yards on four carries. The Broncos did make the adjustment and Hill had 32 yards rushing on his other 13 carries, but teams often decide with all of the Broncos' team speed, the best move is to go right at Williams and see if the Broncos are up to the challenge.
