Sean Payton made sure to arrive at the Superdome much earlier than usual for the game—six hours before kickoff—so he could gradually adjust to his emotional return to a place where he had coached for 15 years.
“I’m glad I was here early,” Payton said, thinking back to the important moments in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina when the Saints became a source of hope and inspiration for the people rebuilding their lives.
“That was a unique time,” Payton remembered. “None of us understood what it would mean and how big it would become. Coming back here is different and kind of special.”
His return was even better because his current team, the Denver Broncos, won convincingly.
Javonte Williams scored two rushing touchdowns, and Cody Barton returned a fumble 52 yards for a touchdown as the Broncos defeated the struggling Saints 33-10 on Thursday night.
Bo Nix threw for 164 yards and ran for 75 yards for Denver (4-3), which outperformed New Orleans in many statistics. The Broncos gained 389 yards compared to the Saints’ 271, marking New Orleans’ fifth straight loss (2-5).
“It was awesome. The Saints mean a lot to him. He was there for a while and had amazing success,” Nix said, referring to Payton’s record of 152 regular-season wins with the Saints from 2006 to 2021, including a Super Bowl title in 2009. “I’m happy for him.”
Payton’s teams in New Orleans lost only twice at home by 20 points or more, while the Saints have experienced that twice in the last five days.
“It’s been disappointing,” Allen said. “Injuries play a part in it, but we’ve got to find a way to play better.” “We’re making mistakes we shouldn’t be making,” Allen said. “Us as coaches and players alike, we’ve got to figure it out.”
Allen was Payton’s defensive coordinator in New Orleans, and they embraced after the game. “I felt bad,” said Payton, who has now defeated all 32 NFL teams as a head coach. “New Orleans is nicked up, got a lot of injuries.”
With Saints quarterback Derek Carr (oblique) out for his second straight game, both teams had rookies playing at quarterback.
Spencer Rattler started for New Orleans again, and his inexperience was worsened by injuries throughout the offense.
The Saints were missing their top receivers Chris Olave (concussion) and Rashid Shaheed (knee), the latter going on injured reserve earlier that day. Two starting linemen, center Erik McCoy (groin) and guard Cesar Ruiz (knee), were also out. Versatile tight end Taysom Hill (ribs) missed his third straight game.
Rattler struggled against a Denver defense that was ranked fourth in the NFL for fewest yards allowed.
He completed 25 of 35 passes for 172 yards, rushed for 34 yards, and lost two fumbles, the second of which Barton returned for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Rattler looked shaken after that play and was replaced by Jake Haener, who connected with Cedric Wilson for New Orleans’ only touchdown.
Barton forced Rattler’s first fumble, leading to one of former Saint Wil Lutz’s four field goals. Rattler was sacked six times, including once by linebacker Nik Bonitto, who recorded a sack for the fifth straight game. New Orleans’ defense couldn’t create any momentum-changing plays.
Tryann Mathieu unusually dropped an easy pass from Nix that went straight to him late in the second quarter. This allowed the Broncos to finish the half with a field goal, leading 16-3.
“Early on in the season, we played good football, so I know this team has it in them,” Allen said, referring to their big wins over Carolina and Dallas. “But right now we’re not playing that way, and obviously there are many reasons for that, and we’ve got to figure out how to get back to playing that type of football.”
