Is it time for the Broncos to sound the alarm if they lose in Week 3?

The Denver Broncos risk starting 0-3 for the second season in a row if they are unable to get past Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Sean Payton is a whopping 8-0 against Todd Bowles when he's been a head coach and a defensive coordinator.

The Bucs are also likely going to be without Antoine Winfield Jr, Vita Vea, and Calijah Kancey in Week 3, three of their best players on defense. Furthermore, while the Buccaneers are 2-0, they are far from perfect. They've allowed a ton of yards through two games. Tampa Bay has allowed a whopping 381 yards per game thus far, which is the 5th-most in the NFL.

They're allowing 138.5 rushing yards per game and 242.5 passing yards per game. If the Broncos offense can't get something going in Week 3, would it be time to hit the panic button? You may laugh at that considering that it's still just Week 3.

The Broncos started 1-5 in the 2023 NFL Season and proceeded to win five games in a row and six their next seven to get to 7-6. It's not impossible for Denver to start 0-3 but rip-off another five-game winning streak.

But you see my point here, right? Historically, Sean Payton has just bullied Todd Bowles' defenses over the years when he was with the New Orleans Saints, and with the Bucs missing multiple starters for Week 3 on defense, there has to be something working for the team's offense on Sunday.

I'll be the first to say that I was probably too high on the Broncos coming into the 2024 NFL Season. I have them winning nine games, as to me, it seemed like the team got better at multiple positions. I may have been wrong, and it may have been wrong for us to assume that this team could have competed nearly every week.

Perhaps a potential Week 3 victory sparks a run in the team. Sean Payton has been in this situation before. Just as an example, the 2017 New Orleans Saints started 0-2. They finished the year 11-5, so they ended up finishing 11-3 across their last 14 games.

In 2020, the Saints found themselves in a 1-2 early hole, but they ended up going 12-4 that season. Yes, the Broncos don't have Drew Brees, but Payton and his teams starting slow is a trend that has impacted him his entire career. You just have to wonder what excuse the Broncos could lose if they were to drop to 0-3.

This feels like a very strong matchup for the Denver Broncos, so a third-straight loss may force them to sound the panic alarms.