Sean Payton's Broncos dominate Saints in his return to New Orleans: Key takeaways

By Nick Kosmider, Larry Holder, Nick Baumgardner and Amos Morale III Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton was back in the Caesars Superdome on Thursday night, where he spent much of his career albeit on a different sideline.

The second-year Broncos coach enjoyed the view from his new location as he watched Denver turn in one of its most dominant performances of his tenure in a 33-10 win against the New Orleans Saints .

Advertisement The Broncos (4-3) rushed for a season-high 225 yards and were spearheaded by running back Javonte Williams season-high 88 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

I thought we did a lot of things well that we talk about statistically, Payton said.

We talked all week about a fast start.

I thought they handled the mental part of it.

While rookie quarterback Bo Nix seemed to have plenty of room to work, Denvers defense rattled Saints rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler , sacking him six times and forcing two fumbles one was returned 66 yards for a touchdown.

Rattler started for quarterback Derek Carr , who was out with an oblique injury.

New Orleans played with a long list of starters on the injury report, including its top two receivers, Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed , several offensive linemen and tight end Taysom Hill .

Cornerback Paulson Adebo suffered an apparent leg injury in the second quarter, while attempting to tackle Williams.

Medical personnel put an air cast on Adebos leg, carted him off the field and took him to the hospital.

Saints coach Dennis Allen said Adebo broke his femur.

Sean Payton, Broncos dominate Saints on Thursday Night Football: Live updates and reaction Saints quitting on Dennis Allen? This is the ultimate embarrassment for the Saints.

Payton returned with a mediocre team and beat them in every phase.

Combine Super Bowl-winning quarterback Drew Brees induction into the Saints Hall of Fame at halftime and it showed viewers everything New Orleans used to be and what they are now.

If there was ever a stage where players might be cruel enough to quit on Allen, it couldve been Thursday night.

After an uninspired first half, Richard Sherman said during Prime Videos halftime show the Saints defense looked like it was trying to get Allen fired by playing with such little effort.

Advertisement Given how the defense seemingly laid down against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week and now against the Broncos, the thought of the team quitting on Allen may not be far-fetched.

I cant envision New Orleans firing Allen during the season.

But since scoring 27 points in the second quarter against the Buccaneers in Week 6, the Saints have been outscored 60-10.

Larry Holder, NFL senior writer Broncos find blueprint with best rushing performance Denver may be able to afford a little patience with Nix as a passer if he and the Broncos keep running the ball like this.

While smashing New Orleans, Denvers 225 rushing yards were the most in a single game since gaining 280 yards on the ground in a loss to the New England Patriots in 2013.

Nix ran for 61 yards Sunday in a Week 6 loss to the San Diego Chargers and that stood as his season-best mark for four days.

Nix had 75 yards on 10 carries against the Saints with a heavy dose of scrambles and a few well-timed designed runs sprinkled in.

An offensive line that benefited from the return of right tackle Mike McGlinchey had its way with the defensive front of the Saints.

The Broncos didnt give up a sack for the third time in the last five games.

Nick Kosmider, Broncos beat writer Run Bo, Run! 75 rushing yards for the rookie so far tonight #DENvsNO on Prime Video Also streaming on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/mICvGTuEki NFL (@NFL) October 18, 2024 Nix needs to be more accurate The passing game wasnt pretty.

Nix completed 16 of 26 passes for 164 yards, but he badly missed the mark on several throws that could have extended drives, including one during a red-zone trip in the first half.

The quarterback is leaving too many completions on the table, and his footwork is a mess at times.

For the Broncos to take another step offensively, Nix has to be more accurate.

Advertisement But the bottom line is Nix helped lead his team to six scores on six straight possessions following an opening-drive punt.

He has an emerging target in Troy Franklin , a fellow rookie and former college teammate, who had five catches for 50 yards If the Broncos can continue to be versatile in the run game, giving Nix more time to develop as an NFL passer, Payton may have a blueprint for how his offense can function and help Denver win games.

Kosmider GO DEEPER Broncos rookie report: Can Bo Nix improve accuracy? More carries for Audric Estime? Defense takes care of business vs.

battered Saints The Broncos defense was burned on a 32-yard play-action pass on the Saints first play of the game.

The unit didnt bend much after that.

Denver believes it has one of the best defenses in the league, and any unit that holds in itself in that regard should be expected to dominate against a rookie quarterback making his second career start with a depleted cast of weapons at his disposal.

Even without All-Pro cornerback Pat Surtain II , thats exactly what the Broncos did.

They sacked Rattler six times and forced a fumble on Cody Barton s takedown in the first quarter that Denver recovered.

Barton later scored a touchdown on a 52-yard fumble return in the fourth quarter, which came after JaQuan McMillian strip-sacked Rattler on a blitz.

Nik Bonitto notched a sack for the fifth straight game, the longest streak in the NFL this season.

The Broncos limited the Saints to 4-of-16 on third down and held running back Alvin Kamara to only 10 yards on seven carries.

Much tougher tests await this unit back-to-back November road games against Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes , for example but on Thursday they left no doubt against an inferior opponent.

Thats what good defenses do.

Kosmider Saints offensive play unwatchable The Saints offense Thursday night seriously resembled a preseason game.

You had a rookie second-round quarterback, wide receivers youve barely heard of and scrubs on the offensive line.

It almost seems pointless to examine the flawed unit with the lack of firepower.

Advertisement This offense has zero chance of succeeding until the Saints regain pieces like Carr, Olave, Hill, Erik McCoy , Cesar Ruiz and others.

And at 2-5 and having lost five consecutive games, saving the season might seem too little, too late.

Holder Rookies in the spotlight Nix and Rattler certainly looked like rookies Thursday night in New Orleans.

And while its obvious both passers have a long way to go with their respective careers, its also important to point out the situations both are in right now.

Neither Denver nor New Orleans is what wed call a healthy organization.

And, unfortunately, both QBs will have hurdles to climb until that changes.

Payton has basically admitted that Denvers pass offense has nothing close to a reliable, versatile playmaker who can get open in any situation.

One of Nixs best throws of the game, a deep comeback toward the end of the first half to Marvin Mims, was right on the money and in the face of pressure and it was dropped.

His best receiver on the field Thursday night played with him at Oregon last season (Franklin).

The best part about Nix has been his ability to play the next play.

Hes still going through some significant footwork issues.

Hes missing layups and still learning the difference between the NFL open and the college open.

Hes a capable runner, but hes also taking too many hits.

However, in the end, hes not putting the team in horrible situations.

Nix is a mentally tough player who can win games at this level if hes protected up front, as he was Thursday.

I still have questions about his general ceiling, but hes also a pretty high-floor player who does feel like a fit with Payton.

Dont expect a huge leap until he gets help, but dont expect Nix to collapse, either.

Rattlers in a more difficult situation.

Hes coming off the bench to replace an injured starter.

Like Nix, he played Thursday without too much of a reliable downfield pass catcher.

When Rattler can set his feet and throw the ball, you can see the appeal as his arm talent is as good (if not a bit better) than Nixs.

Still, Rattlers answers versus pressure have never been great and he struggled in that area Thursday night.

He hasnt done enough to unseat Carr, but this was a valuable experience for a first-year player.

Nick Baumgardner, senior NFL writer Free, daily NFL updates direct to your inbox.

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