Week seven kicks off tonight with the New Orleans Saints (2-4) hosting the Denver Broncos (3-3). Tonight will be an emotional game for Saints fans as Drew Brees will be inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame and Sean Payton makes his return back to the Superdome. It’s going to be a tough battle for the Saints as they’re dealing with a number of injuries to their best players. Chris Olave, Cesar Ruiz, Rashid Shaheed, and Pete Werner are all ruled out for tonight’s game, while Derek Carr and Taysom Hill are listed as doubtful. Lucas Patrick, their third-string center, is questionable, and Connor McGovern may have to play due to the number of injuries this Saints offensive line has suffered. On the other side, the Broncos will be without Patrick Surtain II and Alex Palczewski, who’s been their starting right tackle.

Saints Insight: 

With Derek Carr listed as doubtful, Spencer Rattler is set to make his second consecutive start on a short week. With his top two targets out, it’s shaping up to be a long night for Rattler and a depleted Saints offensive line. The Broncos defense is 2nd in sacks (22), 3rd in pressures (65), and are 6th in passing yards allowed (170 per game). Rattler will have Alvin Kamara to rely on in the run game, as the Broncos are 16th in rushing yards allowed (114 per game) and the Saints are 12th in rushing yards (119.5 per game). Rattler established a connection with Bub Means in last week’s blowout loss against the Buccaneers, targeting him eight times. 

If the Saints are going to win tonight, the offense must apply pressure. Offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak needs to put Rattler in quick throw situations. Short passes and screen passes to set up a deep-shot will be key against this Broncos defense. Establishing the run with Kamara and Jamaal Williams early would also help take the pressure off of Rattler. As for Rattler, he needs to protect the ball better than he did against the Buccaneers. Rattler had two interceptions last week and this Broncos defense is 13th in takeaways (8). The defense will need to keep Bo Nix in the pocket and force him to make bad plays. The Saints have allowed the most yards after catch (1,035) and they’ll need to stop the Broncos receivers early. The Broncos have struggled opening up their run game and the Saints need to keep it from opening. 

Broncos Insight:

The Broncos are coming into the Superdome off of a tough loss against the Chargers, losing 23-16. One consistent theme that this Broncos offense has had, with the exception of the Buccaneers game, is they start games slow. They haven’t been able to get the run game going, ranking 18th in total rushing yards (644). Their lead running back, Javonte Williams, has only had three games with double digit carries. Tonight would be the night to run the football as the Saints are 21st in total rushing yards allowed (802). Box Nix has been solid for the Broncos after his rough first two games. He’s been reliable with the playmakers he’s been dealt with and Payton has put him in positions to succeed. However, the offense ranks in the bottom half of the league in points scored (22nd), total yards (25th), and passing yards (25th). The positive on the offensive side is the offensive line has done a good job protecting Nix, having the 5th fewest sacks allowed (9). The Saints defense has been solid so far, ranking 24th in points allowed (147), 4th in takeaways (12), 16th in sacks (15), and 30th in passing yards (1,573). 

If the Broncos are going to come out with the win, they’ll need their elite defense to make Rattler miserable on the field. They must force him to make mistakes and play from behind. The Saints are going into this game depleted on the offensive, therefore the Broncos can’t go into this game thinking it’s going to be an easy win. The Broncos offense must work the run game so that Nix can air out the football. Give it to their playmakers, such as Courtland Sutton, and have them make plays. Nix will need to be smart with the football and create plays on the run to have the Saints defense guessing what they’ll run. The Broncos offense has been stagnant for too long and they’ll need to draw up explosive plays to end the night with a win.

Prediction: 

The Saints are at a disadvantage with the numerous injuries they have on offense. With an inexperienced Rattler playing against this Broncos defense, he’s going to have a tough night. I believe that this will be the most productive day for both Nix and the Broncos offense. I got the Broncos winning 24-13.