At halftime Thursday in New Orleans, a roar erupted inside the Caesars Superdome as Drew Brees, the quarterback who led the Saints to their only Super Bowl championship, was entered into the team’s Hall of Fame.
There was little else to cheer for during ‘Thursday Night Football’ for the home fans, whose team has now lost five consecutive games.
Sean Payton, the coach of that Saints title team in 2009, returned to New Orleans for the first time since stepping down two years ago and left with a 33-10 victory for the Denver Broncos.
The Broncos improved to 4-3 while the Saints, saddled by injuries to their starting quarterback and two best receivers, are now 2-5.
Broncos quarterback Bo Nix threw for 164 yards and gained a season-high 75 yards on the ground, and Denver rushed for 227 yards in the victory, with Javonte Williams scoring two rushing touchdowns.
Unable to move the ball behind their own rookie quarterback, Spencer Rattler, the Saints didn’t score a touchdown until their final drive. Rattler threw for 172 yards but was constantly under pressure while sacked six times. The game was officially put out of reach in the fourth quarter when Rattler was sacked and lost the ball, leading to a 52-yard touchdown return by the Broncos.
Saints finally score a touchdown but it’s too late
With Jake Haener replacing Spencer Rattler at quarterback, the Saints put together an 11-play touchdown drive that ended with an 11-yard touchdown pass. Coming with 1:22 left in the fourth quarter, it’s far too late to start a comeback, however.
Denver puts the game away
It’s Broncos 33, Saints 3 after a 52-yard return for a touchdown by Cody Barton, the Broncos linebacker. Officially, the play is ruled a fumble return.
New Orleans forces a fumble
Willie Gay Jr. rips the ball out of the grip of Broncos running back Audric Estime with 6 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, giving the Saints a glimmer of hope in starting a rally.
Study in contrasts
Both Denver and New Orleans have nine drives tonight. That is where the similarities end.
Yards per play: Denver 6.6, New Orleans 4.3
Total yards: Denver 379, New Orleans 195
Rushing yards: Denver 215, New Orleans 62
Red zone: Denver 2-3, New Orleans 0-1
Unable to stop Denver’s pressure, Saints struggles continue
After Spencer Rattler was pressured by edge rushers on three consecutive plays, a fourth consecutive drive this half ends in a punt for the Saints. In all, the drive lasted seven yards and mustered 16 plays. Rattler has been sacked four times, while Nix has been kept clean by his offensive line.
New Orleans stops the bleeding
Denver remains in the lead, 26-3, with 13:29 remaining in the fourth quarter, but was stopped and forced to punt on its last drive. This game now becomes a math problem: There are only realistically three, and perhaps four, drives left for the Saints. If they don’t convert here and jump-start a comeback, a rally appears difficult.
Touchdown, Denver!
What has happened to the Saints’ defense this season? One week after allowing 51 to Tampa Bay, New Orleans has now allowed 25 points to a Denver team that has scored more points than that just twice this season. A designed run for 32 yards set up a touchdown run by Javonte Williams. Nix now has a season-high 73 rushing yards.
It’s Broncos 26, Saints 3 with 5:53 to go in the third quarter.
Denver 19, New Orleans 3
Wil Lutz, have a night! The Broncos kicker is now 4-for-4 after a 38-yard field goal. His single-game career-high is five, from 2023. This is the 12th time in Lutz’s career he’s started 4-for-4.
For New Orleans, the path to victory is straightforward
More offense. Denver’s own offense has been efficient tonight but isn’t explosive. With the Saints’ defense difficult to trust to get stops, it’s up to Spencer Rattler to manufacture points. But that is already proving difficult, after a brief drive to open the third quarter ends with a third punt.
Halftime: Denver leads the Saints, 16-3
Bo Nix has 134 passing yards and 41 more on the ground at halftime. On the other side, Spencer Rattler has completed 10 of his 13 passes for 90 yards, with 28 rushing yards.