And the offense took flight little by little and they scored enough to give peace of mind on the scoreboard.
NEW ORLEANS– Before the <a href="https://www.archysport.com/2022/01/another-dismissal-in-the-nfl/" title="Another dismissal in the NFL“>Denver Broncos they left to New Orleanshead coach Sean Payton He reminded his team of a simple goal: “We’re in the business of collecting wins.”
Los Broncos they did it on Thursday, earning their fourth victory of the season, 33-10. And they did it with a familiar formula: defense, turnover-free play by the rookie quarterback Bo Nix and enough series of field goals to get the job done, against a team from the New Orleans Saints which had 17 players on the injury report this week.
Los Broncos (4-3) also leaned on their running game, topping 200 yards on the ground for good measure. It’s their best record through seven games since going 5-2 in 2016.
Worrying trend: The Broncos will be 4-3, but the slow starts continue. Aside from a rare early burst in Tampa in Week 3, the Broncos’ offense hasn’t stressed defenses early. In their five games, excluding Tampa, before Thursday night, the Broncos punted 20 times, Nix had thrown two interceptions, lost two fumbles and had 15 three-and-outs in 30 first-half possessions. Against an injury-ravaged Saints defense, the Broncos opened with a six-play possession, including two Nix fumbles and a punt before putting together two field goal drives on their next two possessions.
QB analysis: The numbers have looked 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 finished 13 of 21 for 134 yards in the first half, when things were even, to finish with no sacks or turnovers. But, Nix missed opportunities on the biggest plays of the night early in the game due to his inconsistent footwork.
The positive side: after dealing with the initial impact of the cornerback’s concussion Bed Surtain II On the first defensive play of the game last week, Denver has shown that its defense still has strength. Surtain will be missed in any game he’s not in, but the Broncos allowed just 105 second-half yards to the Chargers after they settled. On Thursday, they held the Saints under 180 yards heading into the fourth quarter, when they added a defensive touchdown from linebacker Cody Barton. They also put pressure on the Saints quarterback, Spencer Rattlerthroughout the game.
Next game: vs. Panthers, Oct. 27.
