When Sean Payton was getting ready to let a rookie quarterback lead his offense for the first time in 17 years as an NFL head coach, he mentioned that two key things for success are a strong running game and a solid defense.
Both of these elements were present in the Broncos’ 33-10 victory over the injury-plagued Saints during Payton’s emotional return to New Orleans on Thursday night.
“I think they said 22 guys that were with the Saints at some point as coaches or players, so for Sean and all those guys it’s awesome,” defensive end Zach Allen said. “It’s definitely something we’re all going to remember for a long time.”
Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph’s defense recorded six sacks, two takeaways, and a defensive touchdown (another was canceled due to a penalty), while the Broncos (4-3) rushed for an impressive 225 yards.
Quarterback Bo Nix contributed 75 rushing yards, bouncing back from a poor performance against the Chargers last week to lead six straight scoring drives, including two touchdown runs by Javonte Williams and four field goals by former Saints kicker Wil Lutz.
“We’ve got to turn some of those field goals into touchdowns,” Nix said, “but it was good to get points early and move the ball early. We got a first down on the first play, and our defense played solid as always, so we played well and ran the ball for a lot of yards. That helps all the time.”
Williams led the team with 88 yards on 14 carries and scored his first two touchdowns in a single game.
“Everything clicked for me and for the team on offense and defense,” Williams said. “It was a great game for us.” The Broncos have kept their opponents to one touchdown or less in four games and allowed 10 points or fewer three times.
“When everyone does their job, we can achieve great things, and we’ve been saying that since OTAs,” Allen said. “We have three wins this year, and last year it felt like everything was falling apart, so we’re in a good place. There’s still work to do, but we have the right people here to get it done.”
Nix also acknowledges the offense needs to improve.
“We’re going to keep looking for ways to create big plays and move the ball like we did today,” he said. “We just need to go back and repeat this as the weeks go on.”
