The Denver Broncos will face Leonard Fournette and the Bucs in week 4.
Things just got more interesting regarding the matchup between the Denver Broncos and Tampa Bay Buccaneers Buccaneers, as former Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette joined Tampa Bay on Tuesday.
If you remember, Fournette torched the Broncos defense for 225 yards on the ground during the Week 4 matchup against Jacksonville in 2019. Honestly, sadly, how can anyone forget?
Things could play out differently this time around with the additions of Jurrell Casey via a trade with the Titans, as well as Mike Purcell coming along very nicely. Purcell played 17 snaps in week one but didn’t see the field again until after that brutal game against the Jaguars.
Over the course of the next six games, the Broncos only allowed one team to surpass 100 rushing yards. That was heavily due to Purcell and Alexander Johnson.
While the Broncos did give up 100-plus rushing yards in four of the remaining games, it still was a big move.
It definitely will be interesting to see how the Buccaneers use Fournette, as they have LeSean McCoy and Ronald Jones. Will the Broncos be a lot better against the run with Casey? It will also depend on the health of their star linebackers in Johnson, Todd Davis, and pass rushers Von Miller and Bradley Chubb.
Having Tom Brady on the other side could be very problematic when trying to defend the run, because of his ability to change into plays that benefit the offense that he is running.
As Sayre Bedinger pointed out, the Broncos will now have several very big running backs to deal with in 2020:
#Broncos face these three RBs to open the 2020 season:
— Sayre Bedinger (@SayreBedinger) September 3, 2020
1. Derrick Henry - 6'3", 240
2. James Conner - 6'1", 230
3. Leonard Fournette - 6'0" 230
It is going to be a tall order, as all three had a strong and productive 2019 season. Henry, of course, was the leading rusher by the end of the season.
All three will be tough to take down. However, the Broncos’ defensive line appears to have improved quite a bit (hopefully). This battle will be an interesting one to watch and stopping Fournette will be key in the Broncos’ victory over the Buccaneers.