And pass…and pass some more.

It seems the Denver Broncos could very well feast on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense come Sunday at Sports Authority Field.  As the Denver Post’s Jeff Legwold points out, the Tampa Bay’s pass defense is…well…not the best in the league.   It’s actually the worst:

The Buccaneers have surrendered 51 pass plays this season of at least 20 yards. That’s a temple-rubbing number for any defensive coordinator. Four teams have had at least six completions of 20 yards or more in games against the Buccaneers this season.

And more grabbing of attention: Of the 18 touchdown passes the Buccaneers have surrendered this season, nine have been for 20 yards or more. In fact, three of the scoring passes have been 80 yards; two of those 80-yarders have been on third down.

That’s good news for Denver on a few obvious fronts: 1) Peyton Manning, and 2) the Broncos’ rushing game has struggled at times this season.

No reason to try and force it this weekend.

But…

Bucs head coach Greg Schiano believes stats can be deceiving.  He admits the secondary’s play has been “frustrating” at times, but insists the unit is improving, as he explained during a conference call Wednesday:

“We’re getting better.  You can’t for a minute complain about their effort, their work ethic. It’s a process. We just have to keep doing it. And it’s been my experience that when you do that, you get better.

“I can see (improvement).  You can see it on the practice tape. It’s coming. And we also could use more pass rush to help those guys out.”

Other Headlines:

• Associated Press: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Denver Broncos game preview
• BroncoTalk: Did you buy a Peyton Manning jersey on Cyber Monday?  Turns out a lot of fans did.
• Denver Broncos: Champ Bailey remains one of the most respected cornerbacks in the league.
• Denver Post: New Bronco Jacob Hester suited up for Wednesday’s practice.
• USA Today: Broncos traded away pick that would have given them Doug Martin.

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