Denver D, Javonte and Bo, have Broncos crushing Saints, 33-3 in fourth quarter

NEW ORLEANS — No one feels sorry for a team rattled with injuries.

Not in the NFL they don’t. Think Sean Payton’s Broncos was going to sympathize with Payton’s old New Orleans Saints?

Not a chance. Late in the four quarter, the Broncos were thoroughly dominating the Saints, 33-3 in front of an energized-turned-disenchanted crowd Thursday night at the Caesars Superdome. The Broncos got their points on four field goals from former Saint Wil Lutz — including a 52-yarder with 16 seconds left in the first half — two touchdown runs by Javonte Williams, who had a big game, and a late fumble return for a touchdown by inside linebacker Cody Barton.

The Broncos will take a 4-3 record into their long weekend with a home game against the desultory Carolina Panthers up next. The Saints will fall to 2-5 after a 2-0 start.

The Saints entered this game with 10 players on injury lists and quarterback Derek Carr and top receiver Chris Olave watching from the sidelines in sweats. To which, the Broncos said: So?

With longtime New Orleans’ coach Payton back in town leading the Broncos, the Saints thought it would be a good time to honor former quarterback Drew Brees by inducting him into their team’s Hall of Fame. Made sense. Payton and Brees were in it together during the franchise’s glory era, winning a Super Bowl in the 2009 season, and posting 10 winning records from 2006-2021.

Plus, if you’re Saints’ management, the game can’t only be about the return of Payton, the coach who walked away after the 2021 season only to reappear with the Broncos in 2023. They held an afternoon team HOF luncheon banquet for Brees and wouldn’t you know it, Payton, with the preparation for that night’s game put to bed, made a surprise appearance on the dais. Payton got a show-stealing standing ovation.

Payton then outcoached his successor, Dennis Allen. Payton put together a good game plan for his rookie quarterback Bo Nix, who missed his share of open receivers, but scrambled well and was still 16 of 26 passing for 164 yards and had 10 rushes for 75 yards — some off designed runs but many off scrambles.

On the game’s first series Nix scrambled twice for 22 yards. While his passing was off, his scrambles slowed down the Saints’ pass rush. Then Nix got hot, going 6 of 6 for the rest of the first quarter. But on fourth and 1 from the Saints’ 8, Payton had Lutz kick a short field goal for a 6-0 lead with 13:24 left in the second quarter.

At that point, the Broncos had 9 first downs to the Saints’ 2 and 118 yards in offense to the home team’s 58. So a 6-0 lead was relatively underwhelming.

The first touchdown run by Williams — an 8-yard counter where he went untouched — midway through the second quarter gave the Broncos a 13-0 lead. Williams had 88 yards rushing on 14 carries late in the fourth quarter and three catches for 23 yards. Plus the game’s only two offensive touchdowns. 

It was 33-3 Broncos until a final minute defensive pass interference penalty helped the Saints score a consolation touchdown with 1:22 remaining.

At game’s end, no doubt Who Dat Nation was thinking: The Broncos have Sean Payton; and we don’t.

Saints’ cornerback Paulson Adebo was carted off the field in the second quarter with a vacuum cast on his right leg. He waved to the cheering crowd as he rode off. …

While Broncos’ top receiver Courtland Sutton officially didn’t have a targer in the game, rookie Troy Franklin had a career-best five catches for 50 yards. …

Denver inside linebacker Cody Barton had a huge, coming up with a strip-sack on Saints’ rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler and also having a deep-drop coverage knockdown. He also had one fumble return for a touchdown called back on penalty, then got one in the fourth quarter when a strip-sack by cornerback Ja’Quan McMillian had the ball pop into his arms. Barton returned it 52 yards for a score with about 4 minutes left in the game.

He led the Broncos with 7 tackles. …

Once again, Lucas Krull was the Broncos’ “receiving” tight end with Greg Dulcich again a healthy scratch. Krull had three catches for 41 yards late in the third quarter.