The New Orleans Saints have lost four straight games after a blistering 2-0 start to the season. This week, they have a quick turnaround against Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night. On the surface, this game might not seem all that impactful, though it will be a pivotal point in the season. A fifth consecutive loss could immediately spur changes to the coaching staff and roster in New Orleans, so let’s get into it.
The Saints Ravaged By Injuries Again
First, it’s only right to discuss the injury report. It’s a staple of Saints football these days because there are so many players piled up there. The most recent report stated that Cesar Ruiz, Derek Carr, Pete Werner, Rashid Shaheed, and Chris Olave did not practice. This likely rules out all of them ahead of this contest due to the short week. To make matters worse, we saw other players like Lucas Patrick, Taysom Hill, Payton Turner, Alvin Kamara, J.T. Gray, Alontae Taylor, and Cedrik Wilson all listed as limited participants, which could put all of them questionable for the contest also. The only positive news is that it looks like Tyrann Mathieu will be available, and the same goes for Carl Granderson after he popped up on the injury report with a neck injury on Monday.
Coaching Is Critical
Alright, that’s the main focal point out of the way. It’s time to turn your attention to the most critical aspect of this game, coaching. The Saints fandom has watched their team get repeatedly out-coached, with head coach Dennis Allen having beaten just THREE teams with winning records over the course of 76 games. Mind you, all three of those teams were led by backup quarterbacks as well. Simply put, Dennis Allen-led teams haven’t done well against winning teams. Luckily, the Denver Broncos are not a winning team, but they’ve played a couple of really close games and are well-coached by Payton. Given their defensive strength and improving offense under Bo Nix, it’s worth wondering if Allen will be able to outsmart the man that he replaced in this building a few years ago.
Denver Can’t Be Underestimated
The Broncos as a whole might not be thought of as a competitive team. However, they are sitting at 3-3 this season coming into this week’s game. On top of that, all of their losses were just one-score games against strong teams in the Seattle Seahawks, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Los Angeles Chargers. This is a Broncos squad that knows they can beat anybody on any given week. This is a defense that gets after the quarterback, has a cornerback in Patrick Surtain who can shut down an entire side of the field, and a mentality that they can swing the game no matter the circumstances. Meanwhile, their offense under Nix has improved each week, and it feels like it’s only a matter of time before this group has another offensive explosive like they did against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3, or against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 5.
Denver Provides Stiff Matchup For New Orleans
This type of team matches incredibly well against the Saints. New Orleans will be starting Spencer Rattler again, with three offensive linemen missing, and the top two receiving options unavailable. Put that against one of the best defensive units in the league through six weeks, and you have a recipe for disaster in New Orleans. That means the Saints will be FORCED to limit Nix and keep this game low-scoring if they want any opportunity at a victory. Unfortunately, the Saints missed 16 tackles while giving up 51 points to the Buccaneers just a few days ago and were run all over in the second half by both Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker. Not to mention that Baker Mayfield broke the pocket and crushed them with a couple of huge quarterback scrambles for first downs. That’s the same thing that could happen again this week.
Nix led the team with 61 rushing yards against the Chargers this weekend by routinely breaking the pocket and avoiding sacks when things break down. That’s been an Achilles heel for the Saints’ defense all season, and something that will be a backbreaker in a low-scoring affair with what appeared to be a demoralized defense. Couple that with the fact that the Saints haven’t been good on the ground, and the Broncos could establish an early ground game. These are two things that will put this game away before it even begins. I love what Rattler brings to the field, but he has nothing to work with on offense, especially if either Taysom Hill or Kamara gets out for this matchup. I believe this will be one of those games that the Saints find a way to lose in the fourth quarter, and THAT will likely be the end of the Dennis Allen era in New Orleans. I don’t see how it couldn’t be.