The Game: Denver (3-3) at New Orleans (2-4)
The Storyline: Denver coach Sean Payton returns to New Orleans for the first time since 2022, when he stepped down after 15 seasons as the Saints’ coach, a run that included the franchise’s only Super Bowl title. Payton has downplayed the effect the emotions of the visit will have on the game itself, as has Dennis Allen, the longtime Saints assistant who succeeded Payton.
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The Stakes: Payton’s return will make for a lengthy highlight clip on Amazon’s “Thursday Night Football” broadcast, but the more pressing question is which team will return to its winning ways. After they started 0-2, the Broncos rebounded to win three straight. That streak ended Sunday, however, when their offense generated only 60 yards in the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers to put the team in a hole it couldn’t overcome despite scoring late. The Saints’ season has followed the opposite trajectory; since they averaged 45.5 points per game in a 2-0 start that led to their offense’s being called the darling of the league, their scoring has fallen by more than half, to 19 points per game, during New Orleans’ current four-game losing streak.
The Matchup: Which offense will be able to get itself out of jams? New Orleans has converted 47% of its third-down opportunities, the NFL’s third-highest rate, while the Broncos rank second worst at 25%. Quarterback Derek Carr remains out with an oblique injury, and top receiver Chris Olave sustained a concussion in their most recent loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Saints rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler completed 22 of his 40 passes against Tampa Bay with a touchdown and two interceptions Sunday in his pro debut. The Broncos, meanwhile, will be led again by rookie Bo Nix, who has thrown as many interceptions (five) as touchdowns in six starts. That could spell trouble against a New Orleans defense with 10 interceptions, second most in the league.
The Broadcast: Amazon Prime Video, 8:15 p.m. ET, Thursday
