2024 NFL picks, score predictions for Week 3

Denver Broncos (0-2) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0)

Sunday, September 22, 1:00 PM ET

Things are going about as you would expect for the Denver Broncos through two weeks with rookie quarterback Bo Nix.

Nix and the offense under head coach Sean Payton have struggled, putting up just 26 points in the first two weeks of the season against the Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers. The really unfortunate thing is that it hasn’t been all bad from Nix, but his teammates offensively have really let him down at horrible moments.

Has Nix made bad decisions in his first two games? Absolutely, which is to be expected from rookie quarterbacks. But the Broncos have been dropping passes left and right, and the top two running backs in Denver – Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin – have averaged a combined 2.3 yards per attempt through two games.

As much as people want to pin everything on Bo Nix – who does deserve his share of blame for the team’s 0-2 start – how are you supposed to excel as a rookie in the NFL when the running game is that bad?

The Broncos now have to travel to the East Coast to play a hot Buccaneers team that has looked really good through the first two weeks of the season. The Broncos’ best hope here might be to catch the Bucs sleeping after a couple of really nice wins to open the season, including their win this past weekend on the road against the Detroit Lions, a fellow contender in the NFC.

Todd Bowles is going to have his stellar defense ready to feast against a struggling rookie QB, but that Bucs offense is going to have to be on point against a Denver defense that has played pretty well through two games this season. The Bucs are favored by 6.5 points at home here, and the Broncos are going to have to show a lot on the road to cover that spread.

Prediction: Bucs win 19-16