Broncos take care of business by defeating shorthanded Saints

NEW ORLEANS — Before the Denver Broncos left for their round trip to Untouched Orleans, senior mentor Sean Payton reminded his team of an easy goal: “We’re in the business of racking up wins.”

The Broncos did it on Thursday, winning their fourth of the season, 33-10. And they did it with a familiar formula (defense, turnover-free play by rookie quarterback Bo Nix and enough field goals to get the job done) against a New Orleans Saints team that had 17 players on the injury report this season. week. .

The Broncos (4-3) also relied on their running game, topping 200 rushing yards for good measure. It’s their best record through seven games since going 5-2 in 2016. Up next: They’ll host Carolina at home on Oct. 27.

Worrying trend: The Broncos will have a 4-3 record, but the slow starts continue. Aside from a rare early outburst in Tampa in Week 3, the Broncos’ offense hasn’t stressed defenses early. In their five games, excluding Tampa, before Thursday night, the Broncos had 20 punts, Nix had thrown two interceptions, lost two fumbles and had 15 3-pointers in 30 possessions in the first half. Against an injury-ravaged Saints defense, the Broncos opened with a six-play possession, including two failed fumbles by Nix and a punt before making two field goal drives on their next two possessions.

QB Breakdown: The numbers look good, but Nix’s mobility remains his greatest asset. He recorded his second consecutive game of at least 61 rushing yards against the Saints. Nix completed 13 of 21 passes for 134 yards in the first half, when the chips were down, with no sacks or turnovers. But the 10,000-foot view is truly what it could have been, even beyond its 75 ground yards. Nix missed opportunities on the biggest plays of the night early in the game due to inconsistent footwork.

Silver lining: After dealing with the initial impact of cornerback Pat Surtain II’s concussion on the first defensive snap of the game last week, Denver has shown that its defense still has some steam. Surtain will be missed in any game he doesn’t play, but the Broncos gave up just 105 yards in the second half to the Chargers after they settled in. On Thursday, they held the Saints under 180 yards heading into the fourth quarter, where they added a defensive touchdown from linebacker Cody Barton. They also pressured Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler at every turn. -Jeff Legwold

Next match: vs. Panthers (4:25 p.m. ET, Oct. 27)

Help does not come to the saints.

Members of the 2009 Super Bowl team were in the building to watch former quarterback Drew Brees be inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame at halftime. A large group of injured players, including quarterback Derek Carr, tight end Taysom Hill and offensive linemen Erik McCoy and Cesar Ruiz, watched from the sideline. Three more players (Marshon Lattimore, Paulson Adebo and Nick Saldiveri) were ruled out of the game due to injuries.

But the Saints’ health is just one of the problems for a team with no quick fix in sight. The Saints were defeated for the second straight week and scored just 10 points against the Broncos and former coach Payton.

The Saints (2-5) have lost five in a row and have been outscored 60-10 in the last six quarters. They will face the Los Angeles Chargers next week after their mini break.

Worrying trend: The defensive effort. The Saints defense was once the backbone of this team, but it has been getting worse week by week and entered this contest dead last in total defense. Former All-Pro defensive back Richard Sherman didn’t mince his words at halftime when he talked about the overall effort on Prime Video: “They don’t want to take on. They don’t want to make plays. They’re great players… …I don’t understand this. They feels like they want their mentor fired.”

Describe the sport in two sentences: Rock base. The offense couldn’t score, the defense looked almost as sinister as an extreme date, and the Superdome was necessarily unoccupied during the fourth quarter of any other lackluster performance.

QB Breakdown: Any other sport used to be difficult for Rattler, who lacked the Saints’ supremacy: two receivers, several offensive linemen and Hill. Rattler made some big rookie mistakes, including a sack/fumble returned for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, a sack/fumble in the first quarter and every other fumble that was rescued by a defensive penalty. He was able to make some plays with his legs, but ultimately went 25 of 35 for 172 yards and gave up touchdowns before Jake Haener ended the game. –Katherine Terrell

Next sport: vs. Chargers (4:05 p.m. ET, Oct. 27)