3 compelling takeaways from the Denver Broncos’ 33-10 loss to the New Orleans Saints

What a homecoming Denver Broncos Head coach Sean Payton, returning to Caesars Superdome for the first time since New Orleans Saints traded him to the Mile High City. Payton faced off against his former Saints defensive coordinator, head coach Dennis Allen, on the same night that New Orleans inducted Super Bowl winner Drew Brees into the team’s Hall of Fame.

The son of former Denver head coach Gary Kubiak, Klint called the offensive plays for New Orleans, fostering the ever-growing ties between the Broncos and Saints. In the first of two primetime games this season, the Broncos showed they could break away from the canvas and come together in a short week, handily defeating the Saints 33-10.

Denver leaves the Big Easy with a 4-3 record and is a game above .500 for the second time this season. The Broncos can now enjoy their “quick bye” before settling this Carolina Panthers in week 8 on October 27th.

Meanwhile, the 2-5 Saints continue their downward spiral. The Broncos continued to embarrass the Saints Thursday night football, They extended their losing streak to five games in a row. But before anyone gets too excited about their horse, it was only the second time this season that the Broncos scored more than 30 points in a game.

The Broncos have much to be excited about returning to the Mile High City with a well-deserved victory from their fiery and demonstrative head coach. But what have we learned from the triumph of week seven?

Let’s review my three glaring takeaways from Denver’s fourth win of the season.

One of mine Key Paramount to the Broncos’ victory in Payton’s return to New Orleans was the veteran coach’s ability to demonstrate patience and poise toward his former team. That’s exactly what happened when Payton donned a Broncos hoodie with capped sleeves, channeling a nostalgic NFL head coaching look from the mid-2000s.

Payton showed a number of new facets to his offense, using Marvin Mims Jr. as both a ball carrier and receiver and utilizing the tight end position in the passing game with Lucas Krull. Mims was largely ineffective and was used primarily as a return specialist, but he took several shots from the offensive backfield, such as: San Francisco 49ers‘ Deebo Samuel, just without touchdowns and yardage. Krull was Denver’s second-leading receiver with three receptions for 41 yards on four targets and a rush of 23 yards.

But it was the Broncos’ offensive line that set the pace in this game, with the surprise return of right tackle Mike McGlinchey fresh from injured reserve. In fact, Denver’s O-line had four of five starters in the game, racked up 225 rushing yards, an average of 6.4 yards per play on the ground, and refused to give up a single sack.

Starting running back Javonte Williams must have heard enough from me and the boos because he silenced all of his recent critics with a rushing performance of 88 yards on 14 attempts and two touchdowns. In fact, four of the Broncos’ ball carriers averaged more than five yards per carry, with quarterback Bo Nix, Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime also contributing to Denver’s ground attack.

While there was plenty of room for improvement for a Denver team fortunate enough to be in its current position, Payton could have easily had this game focused entirely on him. Instead, he nurtured the development of his rookie quarterback and his emerging football team, which continues to garner league-wide attention.

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For the first time in the 2024 regular season, two rookie QBs competed in primetime: Nix (No. 12 overall pick in the draft) and Spencer Rattler (No. 150). Rattler, in his second career start, filled in for the injured Derek Carr and swam for most of the game due to Denver’s ferocious attack.

The Saints’ 24-year-old rookie finished the day 25 of 35 for 172 yards and two fumbles. Another of my keys to a Denver win this week focused on Rattler’s turnover-happy nature, especially when pressured and disrupted by QB hits and sacks.

With the Broncos, Nix had a strong bout of “happy feet” early in the game and was not used on his throws. He missed wide-open teammates with underthrows and overthrows before securing first downs and yards on the ground. He finished the game as Denver’s second-leading rusher with 75 yards on 10 attempts and a long run of 32 yards.

In the passing game, the first-year team captain was 16-for-26 for 164 yards passing with no turnovers. Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu almost made a pick when Nix threw the ball straight to him in the first half before committing the turnover in relief of Broncos Country sunk.

It was a strange day for a Broncos receiving corps led by fellow rookie Troy Franklin, who posted a team-high five receptions for 50 yards. Payton’s offense featured just six players with at least one catch, while team captain and senior wideout Courtland Sutton had no stats left.

Still, the Broncos’ offense dominated time of possession for more than seven minutes and was 2-3 in the red zone and 2-2 in goal-to-go scenarios. Denver even scored points on six consecutive possessions: four field goals and two touchdowns.

Not bad for Nix’s first primetime stint as an NFL quarterback.

When cornerback Patrick Surtain II left the game last Sunday with a concussion on the first defensive snap, the Broncos had the wind taken out of their sails. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph was less aggressive with his blitz packages, relying on a flexible and soft coverage that was unusually soft and vulnerable.

But that wouldn’t be the case in the Bayou, as the Broncos recorded two takeaways and only allowed one touchdown the entire game. The Saints offense averaged just 4.1 yards per play while Rattler was sacked six times and forced two fumbles.

This was also the fifth straight game in which rush linebacker Nik Bonitto recorded a sack. The Broncos defense is now credited with 28 sacks in its first seven active games. In Denver’s most recent outing, seven different players competed in the sack category against a miserable New Orleans offense.

Linebacker Cody Barton played like a defensive madman, with six tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. In his Broncos debut, Kwon Alexander recovered a fumble.

The Broncos defense dominated the Saints throughout the game and it was never close. Joseph’s penalty unit limited New Orleans’ running game to just 97 yards and forced the team to turn the ball over six times in a one-sided contest.

The Saints’ only touchdown came with six minutes left in the fourth quarter when third-string quarterback Jake Haener completed a 12-yard pass to wideout Cedrick Wilson Jr. The Saints fans were demoralized for most of the game, while the Broncos enjoyed being at the end of a very one-sided affair.

What a relief it is to know that the Broncos defense can survive a football game without their best player. However, let’s hope the Broncos’ defense can heal, rest and get back to action in Week 8 as a collective unit of healthy players with momentum and a track record on their side.

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