Top plays from the Denver Broncos 26-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Denver Broncos defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by the score of 26-7 and won their first game of the season. They dominated the game from beginning to end and the game was full of top plays from the Broncos on the offensive and defensive side of the ball which helped them come away with this victory.

So, let us take a look at the top plays from the Broncos 26-7 victory over the Buccaneers.

Bo Nix started the game hot and finished the drive with a rushing touchdown. His first pass was a beautiful back-shoulder pass to Courtland Sutton for 20+ yards, and he followed it up with another beautiful teardrop pass to Josh Reynolds.

Nix finished the Broncos' opening drive leading the offense to a touchdown and going 4 for 4 passing for 70 yards and a rushing touchdown. This was a great confidence builder for the Broncos, their rookie quarterback, and the team in general. They're playing on the road against a 2-0 Buccaneers team and this drive set the tone for the rest of the game.

The Broncos offense was non-existent through the first two games so starting this one with two down-the-field passes, Nix looking accurate, and ending the drive with his second touchdown on the year was huge.

I mentioned it already, but Bo Nix finishing off the opening drive with his second rushing touchdown was huge for the Broncos. It set the one, building confidence in their rookie quarterback, and gave the Broncos an early lead.

This play started off with a play action with running back Javonte Williams likely as his first read. He was covered but noticed Nix was taking off and blocked/guided the defender away from the pylon and allowed Nix to use his legs and get into the end zone untouched.

It was a heads-up play by Williams and a great play by Nix to use his legs to find the end zone. Nix's running ability is still underrated and will be a weapon for the Broncos offense moving forward.

The Broncos released longtime safety Justin Simmons early in the offseason and signed former Dolphins safety Brandon Jones to replace him in the secondary. He faced a lot of pressure to replace the former All-Pro safety but he had himself a good game today. After the Broncos scored their first touchdown, Brandon Jones jumped a route and intercepted Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield.

Bo Nix's opening drive touchdown was huge for the offense and this interception was equally as huge for the defense. It set the tone for the rest of the game and ultimately would end with the Broncos going up 14-0 early in the first quarter of this game.

Jones has big shoes to fill but performances like this and coming away with a key turnover will help win himself over with Broncos Country.

The Broncos run game has been a weakness and Jaleel McLaughlin has not had the start to the season that he likely anticipated. However, he did find the end zone in this game on a key fourth and goal where he had to make a defender miss before finding the end zone.

The play prior to this, Javonte Williams failed to bang it in and Sean Payton decided to go for it on fourth and goal at the 1-yard line. I expected a QB sneak here for Nix but Payton called a pitch play to McLaughlin that looked like it would end with a loss of yards and a turnover on downs. Thankfully, McLaughlin made a man miss with a beautiful open-field move and used his speed to scamper into the end zone.

I was angry for 75% of this play but credit McLaughlin for turning a bad play call into six points for the offense. This play gave the Broncos an early 14-0 lead and they never looked back after that.

This was my favorite play of the game.

Bo Nix had pressure coming from his blindside and it appeared to be a strip sack in the making, However, Nix somehow sensed the pressure behind him, escaped from the pressure, eluded defenders, and turned it into a 20+ yard rush by the rookie quarterback.

This was an incredible play by Nix and he showcased his athleticism and rushing ability during this play. Nix topped 20 miles per hour during his week one scramble vs. the Seahawks and I bet he likely reached that speed again here during this run.

Just a great play by the rookie quarterback turning a potentially disastrous turnover into a highlight reel play.

The Broncos defense played a damn good game today. They had 7 sacks, multiple turnovers, two turnover on downs, and held the Buccaneers offense to just 7 points. This play in the fourth quarter on a 4th and 3 where the Broncos defense stopped quarterback Baker Mayfield short of the sticks essentially ended the game.

Vance Joseph who many of us, myself included, were very critical of last year has this defense playing damn good football. His unit kept the Broncos in their first two games and dominated this one making sure the team would come away with their first victory of the year.

Tyler Badie had a strong preseason but it wasn't enough for him to make the 53-man roster. He would sign on to the Broncos practice squad where he remained through week one. An injury to rookie running back Audric Estime got him elevated to the active roster in week two where he took his lone carry for 16 yards. Many fans and media wanted to see more of Badie and we got our wish in this one.

Late in the fourth quarter, Badie took a carry 40+ yards and made a strong case for more carries moving forward.

Badie outplayed and outproduced both Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin in this one and has made a strong case to be the Broncos' top ball carrier moving forward. Javonte Williams has struggled all season and has averaged below 3 yards per carry now in three games while McLaughlin has not been much better.

Badie remains on the practice squad but I would expect him to see more carries and opportunities next week when the Broncos take on the New York Jets .

Second-year cornerback Riley Moss is enjoying a solid start to the year and is a big reason behind the Broncos' success on defense. With Pat Surtain II shadowing the opposing teams top receiver and Ja'Quan McMillian in the slot, teams are going to test Moss early and often. So far, he has stepped up to the challenge and played well this season.

In this game, he had tight coverage all game, a few PBU's, and forced the game-ending fumble which was recovered by safety Brandon Jones.

This play effectively ended the game and gave the Broncos their first victory of the year. Moss has been playing good football and will need to continue that play moving forward as teams will look his way early and often with Surtain and McMillian out there in the Broncos secondary.