TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- The Denver Broncos are winless and Terrell Davis has had difficulty running the ball. Those signs of vulnerability haven't lulled the Tampa Bay Buccaneers into thinking they're catching the two-time defending Super Bowl champions at a good time.

The Bucs (1-1) are young, feisty and lead the NFL in defense, yet say it would be a mistake to conclude the Broncos (0-2) aren't capable of reverting to their winning ways in a hurry.

"What happened last week really doesn't have a lot of bearing on what's going to happen this week," Bucs coach Tony Dungy said, mindful that his own team's performance has been uneven.

"I think we know Denver has some championship hearts. You don't go back to back without having that, and most of those guys are still there. We can expect them to come in and play their best ball game. We have to be ready for that."

Questions about the Broncos begin, but don't end with the effect of John Elway's retirement.

The problem in losses to the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs hasn't been so much the play of Elway's successor, Brian Griese, as it has an inability to stop the run defensively and get Davis going offensively.

The league's most productive running back over the past two seasons, Davis has been held to 140 yards on 40 carries. He gained more than that in a game seven times on his way to gaining 2,008 a year ago.

"Terrell's always been the key. Anytime you have the greatest back in the NFL, he's going to be the key to anybody's offense," said Warren Sapp, Tampa Bay's Pro Bowl defensive tackle.

"Right now, he usually would have about 60 carries and about 400 yards, but he has 140 in two games ... I'm sure he's looking forward to breaking out. That's the thing that we have to prevent."

The Bucs allowed 27 yards rushing in a season-opening loss to the New York Giants, then limited Philadelphia to 84 while beating the Eagles 19-5. Overall, they've held opponents to a league-low 128.5 yards per game.

Sapp led a pass rush that produced nine sacks last week. Sixteen of the 22 points against Tampa Bay have been the direct result of miscues by a struggling offense that's had two turnovers returned for touchdowns and also given up a safety.

The defense hasn't allowed a TD in 12 quarters, going back to last season, and the six points the unit has yielded in 1999 came on field goal drives of 6 and 48 yards.

"I haven't seen a defense like that for a long time. You've got to go back to the championship years of the Dallas Cowboys, and I'm not sure which one is better, to be honest with you. But they're darn close," Denver coach Mike Shanahan said.

"You've got 11 guys playing extremely well, very well coordinated, all 11 guys playing with all-out effort. That's the only way you're able to dominate the way they've done the last couple of games."

To beat the Broncos, the Bucs are certain they'll have to continue playing that way.

Tampa Bay is 1-11 in the Dungy era when an opposing back gains 100 yards, so containing Davis is the first priority. That would force Griese, who completed a high percentage of passes but has not had a lot of success throwing downfield, to beat them.

Shanahan replaced the second-year quarterback with Bubby Brister in the fourth quarter of last week's loss at Kansas City. He stressed Griese is still the starter and not the reason the Broncos aren't winning.

"If you're trying to pinpoint one position when you're losing, I think you're making a mistake. I think that's the nature of fans. That's the nature of the media. Sometimes it's the nature of the team if you don't have a strong team," the coach said.

"You've got to find a way to win. Everybody's got to look at themselves and play a little bit better, and if you do that usually good things happen."

With Trent Dilfer struggling, throwing five interceptions in two games, the Bucs are looking to run the ball as much as possible with Warrick Dunn and Mike Alstott. After all, the Broncos rank 29th in run defense, yielding 149.5 yards per game.

Dilfer attempted just 14 passes, four in the second half, against the Eagles. And while the sixth-year pro would like to throw more, he insisted he's comfortable with the less risky approach if it keeps producing victories.

"I'll do whatever it takes to win," he said. "That's my job, and that's where my mindset is."

DENVER Season schedule and results

TAMPA BAY Season schedule and results

September 13 Miami L 21-38 September 19 @Kansas City L 10-26 September 26 @Tampa Bay 1:00pm ET October 3 NY Jets 4:15pm ET October 10 @Oakland 4:15pm ET October 17 Green Bay 4:15pm ET October 24 @New England 1:00pm ET October 31 Minnesota 4:15pm ET November 7 @San Diego 4:15pm ET November 14 @Seattle 8:20pm ET November 22 Oakland 9:00pm ET December 5 Kansas City 4:15pm ET December 13 @Jacksonville 9:00pm ET December 19 Seattle 4:15pm ET December 25 @Detroit 4:15pm ET January 2 San Diego 4:15pm ET

September 12 NY Giants L 13-17 September 19 @Philadelphia W 19-5 September 26 Denver 1:00pm ET October 3 @Minnesota 1:00pm ET October 10 @Green Bay 8:20pm ET October 24 Chicago 1:00pm ET October 31 @Detroit 8:20pm ET November 7 @New Orleans 4:05pm ET November 14 Kansas City 1:00pm ET November 21 Atlanta 1:00pm ET November 28 @Seattle 4:05pm ET December 6 Minnesota 9:00pm ET December 12 Detroit 1:00pm ET December 19 @Oakland 4:05pm ET December 26 Green Bay 4:15pm ET January 2 @Chicago 1:00pm ET

Records source: STATS, Inc.

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