There was no miracle in New Orleans. Deprived of their starting quarterback and their two best pass receivers, the Saints collected only one touchdown in the final moments of the game en route to a 33-10 defeat against the Denver Broncos on Thursday night.
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The Broncos took advantage of the largesse of the attack led by rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler to control possession of the ball and impose their rhythm on the normally formidable Saints defense.
The Denver defense limited the Saints to 271 yards of offensive gain in addition to managing to bring Rattler down six times on the ground behind the line of scrimmage. She also scored a touchdown on an interception return from linebacker Cody Barton.
On the other side of the ball, the Broncos’ ground attack was particularly devastating with gains of 227 yards on 33 carries. Freshman quarterback Bo Nix stood out with 75 yards rushing and 164 yards through the air.
Running back Javonte Williams completed the job by carrying the ball into the end zone twice.
Broncos kicker Will Lutz also made all four of his field goal attempts in the victory.
The Saints lost quarterback Derek Carr two weeks ago and wide receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed last week. With a record of two wins and five losses, they will travel to Los Angeles to face the Chargers next week.
For their part, the Broncos will look to add to their 4-3 record when they host the poor Carolina Panthers in a little over a week.
