TAMPA — The biggest play of Bo Nix’s first NFL win won’t go on his career highlight reel. The critical juncture of the Broncos’ first win of the season didn’t even really feel like it in the moment. On a day in which head coach Sean Payton preached aggressiveness, even he approached this particular moment with caution. Third-and-9 from Denver’s own 7-yard line. Midway through the third quarter. Holding a 20-7 lead but holding. Not controlling. Jabbing a reeling Tampa Bay team on the road but plateaued after a fast start. Nix, in the shotgun, had just avoided a could-have-been catastrophe the snap before when he bootlegged to his right, found a defender in his face and had to dirt the football to avoid a safety. This time, though, he got good protection, made a quick decision and hit Lil’Jordan Humphrey in the flat, short of the first-down marker. Humphrey turned up field, slipped a tackle attempt from Jamel Dean and rumbled for 17 yards and a first down. Offense: Jumpstarted. What came next: A 15-play mega-drive that ended in a disappointing field goal but also, critically, chewed 7 minutes, 57 seconds, off the clock and sapped whatever will the Bucs had left on a steamy Gulf Coast afternoon. Take Our Poll The march in the moment represented Denver taking control of their eventual 26-7 win over the Buccaneers with an iron grip. In a broader sense, it provided a blueprint for this team, imperfect as it is, to attempt to replicate as it moves forward and tries to turn an 0-2 start into a footnote throughout a two-week East Coast sojourn. “Third-and-long backed up, that’s not where you want to be,” Nix, who finished 25 of 36 for 216 yards passing and added 47 yards and a touchdown rushing, said of the drive. “But we had a good call, LJ had choices on that route and he ran an out, made the catch and then got some YAC. “I thought he played really well when the ball was in his hands today and that jump-started the drive.” Jamel Dean (35) of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wraps up Lil’Jordan Humphrey (84) of the Denver Broncos during the second quarter at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post) When the drive started, though, Payton just wanted to get out from the Broncos’ own goal line. Denver blasted ahead 17-0 early on the strength of a terrific opening touchdown drive, a first-quarter Brandon Jones interception that set up a Jaleel McLaughlin touchdown run and a dominant defensive outing. Midway through the third quarter, though, the Broncos were losing the field position battle and had gone three-and-out on their first drive of the second half. “We have this saying: ‘If you’re playing the game on their end of the field, mistakes can be magnified,’” Payton said. “Here we are playing on their end of the field. You have to be mindful of that. So coming out, we were going to be smart about where we were throwing it relative to tipped balls and ball security.” Two first downs, Payton said, would neutralize field position. Denver did better than that and did it in a way that might be a recipe going forward. When the drive started, they had rushed just 15 times for 49 yards. Instead of trying to forge ahead on the ground, Payton put the ball in Nix’s hands. The rookie threw it seven straight times before a sneak for a first down, a 22-yard scramble and a 2-yard Javonte Williams run. Then he threw it three of the next four snaps, too. But with completions come a rolling clock. The rhythm passing game served the same purpose as a running game from a control standpoint. Nix completed 7 of 10 for 47 yards and added 22 on the ground. The Broncos caught a break, too, when the Bucs inexplicably jumped offside two straight plays to turn a third-and-14 Not superhero stuff, but super efficient stuff given the game flow. When Wil Lutz drilled a 33-yard field goal to cap the drive, Denver led 23-7 with 14:52 remaining. Wil Lutz (3) of the Denver Broncos lines up a field goal against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the fourth quarter of the Broncos’ 26-7 win at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post) “It was huge,” Nix said. “You’ve got to have those drives in games. I think we started at about the 5 and we went for a long time. We chewed some clock, we were efficient. We were probably a tipped pass or an explosive play away from getting down there and scoring a touchdown. “But that was a big drive for us. It was good to see and next time we just want to get seven points there.” Related Articles Denver Broncos | Renck: Broncos’ Sean Payton finally produces signature win with decision to take ball first Denver Broncos | Broncos CB Pat Surtain II shuts down Mike Evans in win over Buccaneers: “He’s the best in the league” Denver Broncos | PHOTOS: Denver Broncos beat Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26-7 Denver Broncos | Broncos OLB Dondrea Tillman logs two sacks in NFL debut as part of dominant defensive outing: “It’s a dream come true” Denver Broncos | Broncos Four Downs: That’s Bidet, to you. Tyler Badie shines as Javonte Williams struggles in Denver’s win Then the run game finally picked up down the stretch. Badie, a practice squad-er who’s been a revelation, ripped off a 43-yarder later in the fourth quarter, easily Denver’s longest rush of the early going. The Broncos churned to 65 yards on nine carries in the fourth quarter overall, following Payton’s seeming view that the best rushing yardage is the kind that comes when you’re fully worn down your opponent. This is asking a lot of Nix as a rookie, to play mistake-free and shift gears on time between aggressive and tactical. Not many teams will have a pass-rush as lifeless as Tampa’s was Sunday. Sometimes a tipped ball or a misfire will find defensive hands rather than green grass. But the 24-year-old hit a rhythm Sunday here and showed a glimpse of what the offense looks like when he does the dance well. Players will always have to make plays. McLaughlin bailed out a dead-in-the-water fourth-and-goal toss by leaving two Bucs grasping at air and dashing into the corner of the end zone to put the Broncos ahead 14-0 late in the first quarter. If anybody else on Denver’s roster has the ball in his hands on that play, the Broncos might be 1 of 4 in the red zone on the afternoon and who knows what happens? Jaleel McLaughlin (38) of the Denver Broncos sheds a tackle attempt by K.J. Britt (52) of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before scoring a touchdown during the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post) But Payton made another point clear Sunday: Denver’s got to have a good plan every week given the youth of its offense and its quarterback. For the first time in the early going this year, the plan worked just like it was supposed to. “I say this and I mean this and it’s so important and I include myself and the offensive coaching staff: This is our job,” Payton winded up Sunday. “It’s our job to paint a perfect picture for (Nix). … And when we do that, this guy is going to be something.” Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.