Key Storylines As Buccaneers Head to Denver

The Buccaneers bounced back nicely with a win over the Carolina Panthers at home last Sunday. Miscommunication issues, at times, still slowed down the efficiency of the offense (as did drops), however, they look far better than in week one when they took on the Saints and lost.

Denver Hasn’t Been Kind To Brady

In his career against the Broncos, quarterback Tom Brady holds a record of 8-9. One of the few teams he doesn’t have a win percentage of over 70 percent. It is the only team that holds a winning record against Brady.

Will a change of uniform help Brady? Perhaps. The Bucs are loaded on offense and the Broncos are without their starting quarterback and best defensive player, Von Miller. Helping Brady’s cause is the return of Chris Godwin who missed last week with a concussion.

Will Gronkowski Have A Better Game This Week?

Tight end Rob Gronkowski has been silent these last two games. When the Bucs signed Gronkowski, many fans felt he would play an integral part of the passing attack. Early on, however, that hasn’t been the case. Despite playing 73 percent of the snaps on offense through two games, Gronkowski has been ineffective in the passing attack. Some have questioned whether the 31-year-old has lost a step but head coach Bruce Arians doesn’t seem to think so.

“We bought him in to just play tight end,” said Arians. “If that means no catches, that means no catches. If it means 10 catches, it means 10 catches because he’s open and that’s where the ball goes.”

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Bucs Need to Catch the Ball

Sounds simple but drops hurt them last week and, according to Arians, cost Brady a nice stat line. Both Scotty Miller and LeSean McCoy dropped passes in the end zone and Cyril Grayson failed to convert a huge play on the sidelines. It certainly cost the Bucs yardage and points, something that can’t continue later in the season. Even Bruce Arians said this week that dropped passes are unacceptable.

“You’re a professional football player- if you play receiver, you’re expected to catch the ball. Like any quarterback, if you drop a couple more, you’re not getting it anymore. He isn’t going to throw it to you. Same thing in practice. If you drop the ball in practice it’s probably not coming to you Sunday. Luckily we won the ballgame, but we left a lot of offense out there.”