Welcome to the league, rookie. The Saints’ Spencer Rattler, pictured sacked by the Broncos’ John Franklin-Myers, couldn’t get New Orleans into the end zone as a starter on Thursday night. (Photo by Gus Stark/Getty Images)
Thursday night, Sean Payton was back on the sidelines at the Caesars Superdome. Drew Brees was honored at halftime as he entered the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame.
That’s what made the game itself so depressing for Saints fans. It was a reminder of exactly how far the team has fallen since the glory days of Payton and Brees.
The Saints suffered an ugly 33-10 loss to Payton, their former coach, and the Denver Broncos.
The Broncos weren’t that good, the Saints were just worse. Some of that was beyond the control of the Saints. Due to injury, they were missing many key players, including quarterback Derek Carr and top receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. Rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler did his best, but he was chosen in the fifth round for a reason. The Saints struggled all night to move the ball and sustain drives.
New Orleans started 2-0, but has since lost five straight. The past two losses have been embarrassing for different reasons. Last week the defense was completely overrun by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a 51-27 loss. Thursday was a loss for a coach and franchise icon the Saints traded to Denver in the 2023 offseason.
According to NFL researcher Tony Holzman-Escareno, the Saints have not lost a home game by 20 or more points since 2001. They lost two home games by twenty or more points during the entire 15-year Payton era.
It all can’t sit too well with Saints ownership, which must be growing impatient with head coach Dennis Allen. His future, and whether he can survive another embarrassing home loss, will be a big talking point after Thursday night.
The game was ugly and a baffling decision left fans scrambling for the remote. At the end of the first half, the Saints called a timeout with four seconds left. Then they got on their knees to finish the rest of the clock.
Neither team put on much of a spectacle. At least the Broncos were good enough to win. They are 4-3 this season, which is a testament to Payton’s coaching.
Rookie quarterback Bo Nix has been up and down this season and on Thursday he was inconsistent from game to game. He had a viral highlight when he somehow overthrew a wide-open receiver and subdued another on the same play.
However, Nix did some things right. He had 134 yards passing and 41 yards rushing in the first half. The Broncos weren’t good in the red zone and continued to settle for field goals, but that was still good enough for a 16-3 lead at halftime. Denver continues to rack up wins as Payton makes the most of his roster. Saints fans know all about that.
After Brees’ halftime ceremony, there wasn’t much noise from the Saints fans who lingered. There wasn’t much to be excited about the rest of the game, and there isn’t much for the rest of the season either.
The fall of the saints continues
The Saints looked very good to start the season. They were 2-0 with a pair of high-scoring wins. It turned out that the defense of the Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys, their first two opponents, is not very good.
Since then, the Saints have recorded five straight losses. Injuries have been a major reason, but not the only reason. It’s hard to blame injuries, most of which occurred on the offensive end, for the defense’s efforts over the past few games.
The Broncos didn’t have to do much in the second half other than run the ball. The gaps for the running backs were huge. Getting hammered for the second week in a row wasn’t a good prospect for the Saints and it certainly didn’t reflect well on Allen.
The Saints are a mess on both sides of the ball. It won’t sit well for anyone to see their former coach come to New Orleans and pick up an easy win.
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Broncos fans show up in New Orleans
END: Broncos 33, Saints 10
This was a pretty ugly one, folks. The Saints scored a touchdown in the final two minutes, but never appeared in this game. The Broncos didn’t play great, but they didn’t have to.
But fans were able to honor Saints legend Drew Brees as he entered the team’s Hall of Fame.
Latest statistics
Total violation
Broncos 389, Saints 271
Denver
Bo Nix 16-for-26, 164 yards
Javonte Williams 14 carries, 88 yards, 1 TD
Troy Franklin 5 receptions, 50 yards
New Orleans
Spencer Rattler 25-for-35, 172 yards, 2 lost fumbles
Jake Haener 3-for-4, 38 yards, 1 TD
Kendre Miller 6 rushes, 36 yards
Cedrick Wilson Jr. 6 catches, 57 yards, 1 TD
Jarrett Stidham comes in to take two knees
Jarrett Stidham comes in to finish the game for the Broncos, kneeling twice.
And it’s a final: Broncos 33, Saints 10.
TOUCHDOWN, Saints
New Orleans finally finds the end zone with 1:22 left in the game.
Jake Haener hits Cedrick Wilson Jr. for a 12-yard score, capping an 11-play, 79-yard drive.
Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit wonder what the Saints’ quarterback situation will be like next week. Haener got the ball out faster and more decisively – albeit when the play was out of reach – and got the offense into the end zone.
Jake Haener at QB for Saints
Six sacks and two minutes to go is apparently enough for Spencer Rattler.
Jake Haener takes over as quarterback for New Orleans. Amazon’s replay shows Rattler may have hurt his ribs after fumbling on the Saints’ final drive.
This Cody Barton fumble TD counts
Spencer Rattler again fumbles with another bag. Cody Barton picks up the fumble and runs it back 52 yards for a touchdown. No fine this time. This touchdown stands.
Rattler was sacked six times tonight. Justin Strnad and Ja’Quan McMillian got him on this ride.
Broncos 33, Saints 3 after the extra point kick.
Javonte Williams, 111 yards of total offense
Javonte Williams has rushed for 88 yards after gaining 27 yards on two carries. He also has 23 yards receiving on three catches.
Spencer Rattler was sacked four times tonight
Spencer Rattler is fired twice during this action. The first by Nik Bonitto, the second by Jonah Elliss and Zach Allen.
Saints must kick from their 40-yard line.
Rattler was sacked four times tonight.
Courtland Sutton, zero targets
This came up at half-time, but Courtland Sutton didn’t concede any goals for the Broncos tonight. We are now three quarters of the way through.
Kaylee Hartung of Amazon reports that Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore will not return to the game. He went to the medical tent to check for a hamstring injury and is done for the night.
End of 3rd quarter: Broncos 26, Saints 3
Denver has the ball to end the third quarter and gets a 14-yard pass from Bo Nix to Devaughn Vele, followed by a 10-yard run by Jaleel McLaughlin.
That’s the end of the third quarter with the Broncos leading, 26-
Saints hurt themselves with punishments
A promising drive for the Saints is met with a holding penalty from Foster Moreau, followed by a false start penalty for Landon Young.
Spencer Rattler then completed his next two passes for 18 yards. But a John Franklin-Myers sack at the Saints’ 33-yard line results in a six-yard loss.
Rattler follows that up with a 14-yard pass to Bub Means, but the hole is too deep to dig out and New Orleans has to punt.
TOUCHDOWN, Broncos
On their second possession of the second half, the Broncos score a touchdown. Javonte Williams’ five-yard TD run caps off a five-play, 69-yard drive.
Bo Nix’s 32-yard run highlighted the drive. He has 73 yards rushing, while Williams has 81 yards on the ground.
Broncos increase their lead to 26-3.
Field goal: Broncos 19, Saints 3
The Broncos score two strong runs on their opening drive of the second half: a 13-yard rush by Javonte Williams and a 25-yard dash by Jaleel McLaughlin.
But Denver can’t get any closer than New Orleans’ 20-yard line, settling for Wil Lutz’s fourth field goal of the game. His 38 yard kick is good.
Saints go 3-and-out to open the second half
New Orleans clearly wasn’t paying attention to Drew Brees’ halftime song to fire up the crowd. The Saints go 3-and-out on their first possession of the second half.
Drew Brees’ signature chant
Drew Brees led the Caesars Superdome in one of his signature pregame chants during the halftime ceremony, inducting him into the Saints Hall of Fame.
Saints fans will be hoping there is more to cheer about in the second half. They get the ball to start the third quarter.
Drew Brees is headed to the Saints Hall of Fame
Saints fans haven’t had much to cheer about so far. But they get to watch Drew Brees be inducted into the Saints’ Hall of Fame at halftime at Caesars Superdome.
Halftime: Broncos 16, Saints 3
It wasn’t a spectacular Thursday Night Football game, but Sean Payton has his new team in charge of his former team. The Broncos have a 16-3 lead over the Saints.
