On a night when Super Bowl MVP quarterback Drew Brees was honored as a member of the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame, former head coach Sean Payton came back to the Caesars Superdome and had his way with the Black and Gold on the way to a 33-10 victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Denver got on the scoreboard first on their second drive as they went 52 yards on nine plays before former Saints kicker Wil Lutz knocked down a 46-yard field goal to put the Broncos ahead 3-0. Early in the second quarter, Lutz added another field goal from 32 yards to double the lead at 6-0.
With 7:33 remaining in the second quarter, rookie quarterback Bo Nix led an 8-play, 86-yard scoring drive that resulted in an eight-yard touchdown run by Javonte Williams to put Denver ahead 13-0.
The Saints finally got on the board with a 35-yarder from Blake Grupe with two minutes on the clock. Denver answered with a 38-yard drive that ended in Lutz hitting his third field goal of the first half in his former stadium, this one from 52 yards out to make it 16-3 at the break.
Early in the third, Lutz continued to knock down field goals against his former team with a 38 yard field goal to make it 19-3 with 10:24 remaining in the third quarter. Four minutes later, Nix led a five-play, 69-yard drive, including a deep pass to former Saints tight end Lucas Krull.
The drive ended with a long run from Nix before Williams had his second rushing touchdown of the night to make it 26-3.
Denver added to its lead in the fourth quarter when the Broncos’ defense stripped Rattler of the ball, and Cody Barton returned it 52 yards for a touchdown to make it 33-3.
New Orleans finally found the end zone late in the fourth as Jake Haener found Cedrick Wilson Jr. for a 12-yard touchdown.
BIG NUMBER: 6
This is the sixth straight primetime loss for the Black and Gold as they were dominated at home by former head coach Sean Payton and the Broncos. The Broncos defense also sacked Spencer Rattler six times in the contest.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Cody Barton
Barton was a disruptive force in Thursday night’s game as he recorded seven tackles (six solo), one sack, one pass deflection, and a 52-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
UP NEXT: New Orleans (2-5) has a mini-bye before going to Los Angeles to take on the Chargers inside Sofi Stadium on Sunday, October 27th. Kickoff is set for 3:05 p.m.
