Five things we learned from Denver’s 33-10 win

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1. Payton’s return to New Orleans turns painful for Saints followers. Sean Payton didn’t return to the Superdome wielding a chainsaw. As a substitute, he bled out his former group – and the notoriously loud Saints followers’ power stage – with a loss of life by a thousand paper cuts. The Broncos hardly turned in an offensive gem, with Bo Nix badly lacking some receivers and people receivers dropping just a few, too. However they moved the ball persistently all evening towards a chewed-up Saints protection, leaning on the run recreation and inflicting extra punishment. Even with out All-Professional cornerback Patrick Surtain II, Denver’s protection dominated a lot of the recreation. It’s straightforward to think about slick offensive performs and daring in-game dangers with Payton, however he additionally does not thoughts methodically grinding away at his opponent. Saints followers tepidly greeted Payton with a combination of cheers and boos when he got here out on the sphere. he needed to take pleasure in this win, ugly because it might need been. It was additionally a pleasant revenge evening for former Saints kicker Wil Lutz, whom Payton traded for in Denver, making all 4 of his discipline purpose tries. Even Lucas Krull had a profession excessive in receiving yards (41), and Kwon Alexander recovered a key first-half fumble. Yep, each are ex-Saints. The Broncos got here into New Orleans and ran a Second Line Parade up and down the Superdome on Thursday.
2. Saints’ season has gone off the rails. After two wins and 91 factors scored, the Saints have misplaced 5 straight video games – together with three on the Superdome – and have totaled a meager 79 factors within the course of. That’s now back-to-back house losses of 20-plus factors for the primary time since late within the 2001 season, 5 years earlier than Payton took the Saints’ job. The Saints misplaced at house by 20-plus factors twice in Payton’s 15-year Saints profession. The Broncos stored the door open early, however the Saints had no actual response. They’re lacking their quarterback, two beginning receivers and two offensive linemen already, and on Thursday the protection took two large hits – cornerbacks Paulson Adebo (knee) and Marshon Lattimore (hamstring). Saints followers appeared to have checked out after the Drew Brees Corridor of Fame halftime ceremony, with many leaving afterward. Maybe Dennis Allen calling a timeout proper earlier than halftime, solely to have Spencer Rattler take a knee, did it. Or possibly it was Tyrann Mathieu’s drop of a gift-wrapped interception proper earlier than the half. Or the strip-sack or the missed tackles. No matter it was, the followers appeared virtually numb to the struggling – or maybe in shock that their former head coach was the one driving the stake of their season. At 2-5, issues are actually dicey now for Allen’s group, too banged as much as compete and the bye week greater than a month away.
3. Broncos protection deserves reward for effort. It’s laborious to measure simply how robust a efficiency this was, given the Saints’ offensive accidents, however Denver’s protection got here to play Thursday evening. 4 days in the past, the Chargers just about ran roughshod over this group for 3 quarters, however the Broncos buckled up and turned in exhibiting on quick relaxation – and with out arguably their finest participant in Patrick Surtain II. They received strain on Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler and solely let him get unfastened as a scramble twice. The protection was additionally good on the again finish, though the Saints’ banged-up group of receivers didn’t look like a large problem. Cody Barton, who’s growing into one in every of Denver’s extra dependable playmakers, was everywhere. He strip-sacked Rattler, ought to have had a decide and after having a scoop-and-score erased by penalty within the first half, Barton hauled in a deflected Rattler cross and ran it again 52 yards for the death-blow landing. It was a four-quarter beatdown and arguably their finest statistical exhibiting of the season on that aspect of the ball.
4. Each rookie quarterbacks had their share of struggles. The 2024 NFL season has featured some fairly spectacular rookie-QB play on the entire, however Thursday’s recreation – the primary assembly of two rookie quarterbacks this season – won’t make the year-end spotlight reel. Bo Nix outplayed Spencer Rattler, as you would possibly count on from a quarterback who was picked twelfth total and who has held the job since coaching camp. However Nix was loads sloppy at instances, badly misfiring to a number of of his targets and getting away with a dropped interception by the Saints’ Tyrann Mathieu earlier than halftime. He was efficient along with his legs and restricted his errors, however Nix nonetheless has loads of room for development. The place was Courtland Sutton? Nix didn’t look his approach as soon as, for the primary zero-target recreation of Sutton’s profession. In his second begin, Rattler was rattled after the primary strip-sack and was beneath duress a lot of the evening, unable to seek out a lot rhythm after a promising opening drive. Like Nix, he had just a few efficient scrambles. However the passing recreation by no means received going, along with his shorthanded WR corps letting him down a number of instances, and Rattler’s two misplaced fumbles had been expensive. Jake Haener changed him within the last jiffy after Rattler sustained a hip pointer, main the Saints to a garbage-time landing, so it’ll be attention-grabbing to see how Allen will deal with the scenario if Derek Carr isn’t wholesome previous to the subsequent recreation on the Chargers.
5. Even with accidents, Saints’ protection shouldn’t be this unhealthy. Over the previous 11 days, the Saints have allowed 110 factors and practically 1,500 yards. Two of these video games in a four-day span occurred at house. The run protection wasn’t as ghastly because it was towards the Buccaneers on Sunday, nevertheless it wasn’t good towards the Broncos Thursday evening. Poor hole self-discipline, unhealthy tackling and bodily dominance all plagued the Saints up entrance. Missed tackles had been an issue once more, too. Then the secondary received stung with two large accidents, shedding Paulson Adebo and Marshon Lattimore midgame, additional bleeding out the depth chart. However there have been too many open receivers and, outdoors of some blitzes, too little strain. There was additionally a noticeable lack of effort in some spots, additional turning up the warmth on Dennis Allen. He’s a defensive coach, and his former boss got here in and managed the sport. Allen’s lack of aggressiveness – even with a rookie QB – put his protection in just a few powerful spots, and the offense struggled definitely led to Denver factors. However this Saints protection shouldn’t be this unhealthy. There had higher be some main enchancment over the mini-bye or this might find yourself one of many bottom-end statistical teams at season’s finish.

Subsequent Gen Stats Perception for Broncos-Saints (by way of NFL Professional): The Broncos protection generated 14 fast pressures (beneath 2.5 seconds) of their Week 7 win over the Saints, tied for probably the most fast pressures by a protection in a recreation this season. In Weeks 1-6, the Broncos generated a league-high 51 fast pressures.

NFL Analysis: After Sean Payton beat the Saints Thursday, NFL head coaches are actually 2-6 of their first highway video games towards their former group of 10-plus seasons, because the 2000 season. The one prior win had been by the Chiefs’ Andy Reid in Week 3 of the 2013 season, beating the Eagles in Philadelphia.