There are four undefeated teams in the NFC heading into Week 3 of the season and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers stand out in the exclusive group. Of the seven NFC playoff teams from last season, the Buccaneers are the only one to open 2-0 this season and will try to remain perfect when they play host to the Denver Broncos on Sunday. The Buccaneers earned a 20-16 road victory last weekend against the Detroit Lions, turning in just enough defense, and opportunistic offense behind quarterback Baker Mayfield, into a 2-0 record for the fourth consecutive season.
"We're not out to prove everybody wrong, we're out to prove ourselves right," Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said. "We're hungry, we're trying to get to the playoffs and win the Super Bowl. The same people that are patting us on the back are the same people that were talking about us and expecting us to win none.
" The common denominator in those previous 2-0 starts is that none of them turned into a third consecutive victory, including a 25-11 home loss to the Philadelphia Eagles during Week 3 last season. The last time Tampa Bay went 3-0 was in 2005. The Buccaneers exacted a measure of revenge with their win Sunday over the Lions, who eliminated Tampa Bay in last year's NFC Divisional round of the playoffs.
"We know it's a long season," Buccaneers cornerback Zyon McCollum said. "We went 2-0 last year and you all saw what happened. So the leadership on this team has been keeping us together and keeping us grinding, staying hu.