Sean Payton’s NFL journey has been quite rocky since he left the New Orleans Saints following the 2021 season. A year away from the game led to his high-profile trade to the Denver Broncos in 2023, but his marriage with former Super Bowl champion quarterback Russell Wilson barely lasted one season, and now he’s trying to keep a rookie signal-caller in Bo Nix competitive in the tough AFC West.
The Saints, meanwhile, haven’t fared much better. Turning to Payton’s defensive coordinator, Dennis Allen, as the new head man, they’ve gone a combined 27-30 since the start of 2022, flipping between Andy Dalton, Jameis Winston, Derek Carr and now rookie fill-in Spencer Rattler under center. The defense has generally remained sound, but playoff games have been especially hard to come by.
Now, on Thursday night, the two sides will reconvene for a chance to stay relevant, kicking off Week 7 in a showdown of potential spoilers. How can you tune in? Which players could be X factors? And who’s actually primed to win? Here’s our preview and sports betting prediction:
Where to watch Saints vs. Broncos
- Date: Thursday, Oct. 17 | Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
- Location: Caesars Superdome (New Orleans)
- Stream: Prime Video
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Odds: Broncos -2.5 | O/U 37 (DraftKings)
Key matchups
- Saints TE Juwan Johnson vs. Broncos S Brandon Jones: New Orleans is all kinds of banged up out wide, with both Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed nursing injuries and ruled out. That could vault Johnson to the top of the pecking order for rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler after securing eight catches the last two weeks. Jones, meanwhile, has been Denver’s busiest man on the back end, with three pass breakups.
- Broncos OT Frank Crum vs. Saints DE Cameron Jordan: Denver is hurting bad at right tackle right now, with Mike McGlinchey on injured reserve and fill-in Alex Palczewski suffering an ankle sprain in Week 6. One way or another, the undrafted rookie Crum could see time against Jordan, who at 35 isn’t the All-Pro force he once was, but could be primed to get his first sack or two of the season.
- Saints OT Trevor Penning vs. Broncos DE Zach Allen: Much-maligned coming into the season, Penning shifted to right tackle upon Taliese Fuaga’s arrival for New Orleans. Now he’ll get one of his toughest tasks of the season, working alongside a battered interior, with Allen entering Thursday’s game with a team-high 13 quarterback hits and nine tackles for loss.
Burning questions
- Broncos: Can Sean Payton settle down the offensive operation? Bo Nix has had spurts of first-round athleticism, but all in all, Payton’s offense has remained mercurial. Getting back to the ground may be key in this one, as Nix led Denver in rushing during a Week 6 defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers. Javonte Williams, Audric Estime and Jaleel McLaughlin could all be heavily involved.
- Saints: Can Spencer Rattler keep his head above water? The rookie displayed a zippy arm in relief of the injured Derek Carr to open Week 6, only to find himself in trouble while trying to outduel Baker Mayfield down the stretch. He’ll be tasked with controlling the ball amid an incredibly banged-up supporting cast, even though the Broncos “D” may be without top cover man Patrick Surtain II.
Prediction
If the Saints were at full strength, this would be a tough spot for Payton’s Broncos, hitting the road on a short week against a slightly underrated offense that saw Derek Carr, Alvin Kamara and Rashid Shaheed explode to open 2024. The Saints are decidedly not at full strength, however, and will be asking a lot of a young, unproven quarterback against a top-five defense led by a dominant front seven. I’m betting that spells trouble for Payton’s old friend, Dennis Allen, who’s trying to avoid a fifth straight loss.
Pick: Broncos 24, Saints 15 (hitting the Over set at DraftKings sportsbook)
Bonus: Matt Severance, who is on a 21-6 roll on Broncos games, has released his best bets for the Week 7 “Thursday Night Football’ game. Severance is leaning the Under total but who is he backing to cover? Find out right here at SportsLine.
