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Are Denver Fans Overrating Broncos After Sean Payton Homecoming Win Over Saints?

Plenty of fans already have playoff dreams.
October 18, 2024
Image: Sean Payton was more smiles than usual after the Broncos' victory over the New Orleans Saints on October 17.
Sean Payton was more smiles than usual after the Broncos' victory over the New Orleans Saints on October 17. Denver Broncos via YouTube

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Even after the Denver Broncos' three-game winning streak ended with last weekend's loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, quarterback Bo Nix's truest BoNers were reluctant to blame their man — despite a performance harder to watch than Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis. And now, after the Broncos dismantled the New Orleans Saints 33-10 on the October 17 edition of Thursday Night Football, Bo boosters are even more willing to believe this squad can actually make the playoffs in his rookie season.

The likelihood of this happening is so small that scientists would need an electron microscope to see it. But enjoy it while you can, Broncos Country.

The game was hyped nationally as head coach Sean Payton's return to NOLA, where he was beloved for leading the Saints to their only Super Bowl until he left the fold for broadcasting, then came back to coaching considerably north of the Big Easy. And the Saints certainly looked like a traditionally awful homecoming opponent, going into the game with a rash of injuries to key players Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed, multi-position specialist Taysom Hill and, most crucially, starting QB Derek Carr.

As a result of Carr's absence, first-year hurler Spencer Rattler was given the start — an opportunity definitely not to be envied, given the dearth of weapons in his arsenal. True, running back Alvin Kamara was ambulatory, but the pass-catching crew was led by one Bub Means, whose name makes him sound more like a character in a 1930s comic strip than a downfield threat.

Despite these overwhelming advantages, the Broncos started slowly, as usual. Denver's first play found Nix scampering for fourteen yards — an encouraging sign for a guy whose legs have thus far been more impressive than his arm. But another first down later, the offense was forced to punt — and Rattler promptly hit tight end Foster Moreau for a 32-yard gain, raising fears that the Saints' motivation to humiliate Payton might be enough to overcome their many handicaps.

Nope: The Saints' drive promptly stalled, and the Broncos responded with a 52-yard march mostly accomplished on the ground. And while Denver only managed a field goal, the template was set. Throughout the rest of the contest, Denver sliced through a Saints defense that had a lot fewer excuses for mediocrity than did Rattler and company. Javonte Williams wound up with 88 yards on fourteen carries, with Jaleel McLaughlin contributing 35 yards on four carries, Audric Estime chugging for 29 yards on four carries (albeit accompanied by a fumble), and Nix putting up another 75 yards of his own. In all, Broncos runners totted up 225 yards and Williams hit the end zone twice — his best performance of the year by a long distance.

Lucky thing, since Nix's passing was typically erratic. When he had time in the pocket, he proved accurate on several occasions, and he got off a few decent tosses on rollouts. But he also either underthrew or overthrew a passel of wide-open targets in ways that could have, and probably should have, led to disaster, but somehow didn't. How Tyrann Mathieu didn't manage to intercept a ball Nix threw directly at him is something that probably led to hours of tossing and turning last night.

Fortunately for Nix, his ultra-average stat line — sixteen of 26 for 165 yards — was more than enough against the Saints. The Broncos defense regularly rattled Rattler, who was sacked six times and fumbled the ball twice, with the second turnover resulting in a scoop-and-score for linebacker Cody Barton. Rattler was ultimately supplanted by third-stringer Jake Haener, whose success in notching a garbage-time touchdown may have won him a chance to start against the Chargers next week. Good luck with that.

The Broncos appear to have a much less significant challenge: They don't take the field again until October 27, when they'll line up at home against the Carolina Panthers, the consensus pick for worst team in the NFL. After that, the schedule gets much more difficult; the Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs are looming. But if the Broncos are 5-3 at that point, you can bet fans will be even more optimistic about a trip to the post-season.

For a preview of this enthusiasm, count down our picks for the most memorable post-game takes on X.

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Image: Michael Roberts
Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.
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