Check out the game action shots from the New Orleans Saints Thursday Night Football game against the Denver Broncos in Week 7 of the 2024 NFL Season on Oct. 17, 2024 in the Caesars Superdome.
The bad Monday night against Kansas City that turned into a worse Sunday afternoon against Tampa Bay wove into a worst Thursday night against Denver, as the New Orleans Saints lost their fifth consecutive game, 33-10 to the Broncos, in the Caesars Superdome.
The Saints (2-5) are scrambling to find their footing, averaging 17.2 points per game while allowing 30.2 points during the skid.
Undoubtedly, injuries have been a factor. Eleven players who were starters in Game 1 – quarterback Derek Carr, tight end Taysom Hill, receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, linebacker Pete Werner, center Erik McCoy, guard Cesar Ruiz, safety Will Harris, guard Lucas Patrick and cornerbacks Paulson Adebo and Marshon Lattimore – either didn't play or didn't finish Thursday's game.
But New Orleans' unevenness hasn't solely been attributable to attrition. The Saints will hope to rediscover a measure of consistency by the time it travels to Los Angeles to face the Chargers on Oct. 27.
OFFENSE: It's difficult to get a true measure of what rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler can and can't do, given that he has been under a torrent of pressure for six of the eight quarters he has played. But that doesn't absolve Rattler, who lost two fumbles and was sacked six times, with not all of them being the fault of his makeshift offensive line. The Saints totaled 271 yards against the Broncos and though there was success on fourth down – three of four – it was more than countered by New Orleans being held to 5 of 17 on third down. For the third straight game, the time of possession battle was lopsided (33:16-26:44) and the Saints again struggled to run the ball (21 carries for 97 yards, most coming with the game well in hand).
DEFENSE: Four days after surrendering 277 rushing yards to Tampa Bay, the Saints gave up 225 to Denver. An NFL defense that can't stop the run is at the mercy of its opponent and New Orleans has watched two teams have their way. Missed tackles were a continued, glaring issue as the Broncos compiled 389 yards, and when the Saints couldn't take advantage of Bo Nix's inaccuracy – Nix was 16 of 26 and threw a pass directly to safety Tyrann Mathieu that Mathieu dropped – Nix was able to damage New Orleans with his feet (10 carries for 75 yards). It's not going to get any easier as the season progresses.
SPECIAL TEAMS: Splash plays on special teams are rare. If the unit doesn't do anything that hinders victory, that usually is acceptable but with the way the Saints are struggling on offense and defense, it'd certainly help if the defense provided some pop.