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With the NFL turning the page from Week 6 to Week 7 it is time to prepare for the Thursday Night Football matchup. We have the Denver Broncos traveling south to take on the New Orleans Saints. We will have a battle between two rookie quarterbacks, Bo Nix for the Broncos and Spencer Rattler for the Saints. Let’s dive deeper into this Thursday Night Football matchup and make our Broncos @ Saints NFL picks.
The Broncos are coming off a tough loss to division-rival Los Angeles Chargers 23-16. The Chargers were able to control the clock by controlling the game on the ground. The Broncos’ offense could not get going until the fourth quarter, when they scored all 16 of their points.
Rookie Bo Nix struggled in the first half of the football game, but he continues to get better week in and week out. Nix finished the game 19-33 for 216 yards and two touchdowns, while also throwing an interception. Courtland Sutton and Troy Franklin were on the receiving end of Bo Nix’s touchdowns, while rookie Devaughn Vele led the team in receiving yards with 78 on four catches.
Not only did Bo lead the Broncos through the air but Nix was also led the Broncos in rushing yards with 61 yards, which you don’t love to see. The Broncos just could not get anything going on the ground. Javonte Williams had just six carries totaling just 23 yards. Being able to run the ball is a rookie quarterback’s best friend and at times this season, the Broncos just cannot get it done. The Broncos will need to get the running game going if they want to come away victorious in this one.
With Derek Carr out injured for the Saints it was rookie Spencer Rattler who started at quarterback. Rattler looked like he belonged in the first half, as the Saints went into the locker room with a 27-24 lead. The second half was a different story for the Saints unfortunately, as they were held scoreless and lost the game 51-27 with New Orleans being unable to stop the Bucs.
Rattler finished the day 22-40 for 243 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions. With the shootout taking place, the Saints probably did not run the ball as much as they would have liked to help the young QB out. Alvin Kamara saw just 13 carries for 40 yards, but did find the end zone.
Unfortunately for the Saints, they lost their best pass catcher in this one with Chris Olave going out with a concussion. With the Saints having a quick turnaround for Thursday Night Football, Olave will almost certainly be ruled out in this matchup. That puts a lot of pressure on a young quarterback and his receivers like Rashid Shaheed to step up.
The New Orleans Saints are coming off a game in which they allowed the Buccaneers to score 51 points. It was the third game in a row where their defense has given up at least 26 points. However, it should be noted that in the three prior weeks, they allowed fewer than 20 points in each of those contests. The games where they got torched saw them play tough offenses such as the Falcons, Chiefs and Buccaneers. This Broncos offense is not like those three.
As for the Broncos, it has been a roller coaster ride for them. With Nix at the helm, we are not sure what we are going to get from an offensive standpoint. However, the Broncos’ defense has been great this season led by top cornerback Patrick Surtain, who was injured in Week 6 with a concussion. Surtain will likely be out in this one, but the Broncos defense as a whole is solid.
With that said, we expect an ugly Thursday Night Football matchup. With two rookie quarterbacks starting in this one, we do not expect a ton of offensive explosions. Keeping those reasons in mind, our Broncos @ Saints NFL pick is that there will be fewer than 38 points scored in this game.
Dylan has had a love for sports since he was a kid. Four years ago, he decided to dive into the sports content-creating industry specializing in Fantasy Football, NFL and NBA. He has since had his work published on sites that include Fantasy Alarm, Fansided, and Fantasy Six Pack.