Denver Broncos vs New Orleans Saints: Box score, player stats and summary feat. Bo Nix and Spencer Rattler

It was the battle between rookie quarterbacks, it was the return of the formerly beloved head coach; it was the Denver Broncos facing the New Orleans Saints in the Superdome for a mammoth Thursday Night Football game. Add to it that Drew Brees was in the building to be inducted into the team's Hall of Fame and the subplots were plentiful going into this match.

However, it was a different feeling for the players. The Saints were 2-4 for the season and had lost their last four games. They were missing starting quarterback Derek Carr and starting wide receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. They were looking to break the cycle and put themselves back in contention in the NFC South.

The Broncos came into this matchup with a 3-3 record. They were looking to get to a winning percentage and accrue some momentum. The Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers are setting the pace ahead of them in the AFC West and this was an important game in that context.

Here is how the action went down:

Broncos vs. Saints box scores

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Broncos	3	13	10	7	33
Saints	0	3	0	7	10

Broncos Box Scores

Passing

Player	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	INT	SACKS	RTG
Bo Nix	16/26	164	6.3	0	0	0-0	79.6

Rushing

Player	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
Javonte Williams	14	88	6.3	2	20
Bo Nix	10	75	7.5	0	32
Jaleel McLaughlin	4	35	8.8	0	21
Audric Estime	5	29	5.8	0	13
Jarrett Stidham	2	-2	-1	0	-1
Team	35	225	6.4	2	32

Receiving

Player	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	TGTS
Troy Franklin	5	50	10	0	30	6
Lucas Krull	3	41	13.7	0	23	4
Javonte Williams	3	23	7.7	0	9	3
Devaughn Vele	1	20	20	0	20	3
Marvin Mims Jr.	2	18	9	0	11	3
Lil'Jordan Humphrey	2	12	6	0	9	3
Adam Trautman	0	0	0	0	0	3
Team	16	164	10.3	0	30	25

Defense

Player	TOT	SOLO	SACKS	TFL	PD	QB HTS	TD
Justin Strnad	9	6	1	0	0	1	0
Levi Wallace	8	7	0	0	0	0	0
Cody Barton	8	6	1	0	1	1	1
Ja'Quan McMillian	6	6	1	2	0	1	0
Riley Moss	6	4	0	0	0	0	0
Brandon Jones	5	4	0	1	0	0	0
P.J. Locke	5	2	0	1	0	0	0
Nik Bonitto	3	1	1	1	0	3	0
Zach Allen	3	1	0.5	0	0	3	0
John Franklin-Myers	2	1	1	1	0	1	0
JL Skinner	2	1	0	0	0	0	0
Jonah Elliss	2	1	0.5	0	0	1	0
Levelle Bailey	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
Riley Dixon	1	1	0	0	0	0	0
Tremon Smith	1	1	0	0	0	0	0
Malcolm Roach	1	1	0	0	1	0	0
Michael Burton	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Kwon Alexander	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
D.J. Jones	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Devon Key	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Jonathon Cooper	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Damarri Mathis	1	0	0	0	1	0	0
Jordan Jackson	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Keidron Smith	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Nate Adkins	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Team	73	43	6	6	3	11	1

Kicking

Player	FG	PCT	LONG	XP	PTS
Wil Lutz	4/4	100	52	3/3	15

Saints Box Scores

Passing

Player	C/ATT	YDS	AVG	TD	INT	SACKS	RTG
Spencer Rattler	25/35	172	4.9	0	0	6-36	82.1
Jake Haener	3/4	38	9.5	1	0	0-0	143.8
Team	28/39	174	5.4	1	0	6-36	92.9

Rushing

Player	CAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
Kendre Miller	6	36	6	0	16
Spencer Rattler	5	34	6.8	0	28
Jamaal Williams	3	17	5.7	0	13
Alvin Kamara	7	10	1.4	0	6
Team	21	97	4.6	0	28

Receiving

Player	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	TGTS
Cedrick Wilson Jr.	6	57	9.5	1	17	7
Mason Tipton	6	45	7.5	0	9	9
Foster Moreau	2	38	19	0	32	2
Bub Means	3	37	12.3	0	14	5
Juwan Johnson	3	18	6	0	12	6
Alvin Kamara	6	14	2.3	0	6	7
Kendre Miller	2	1	0.5	0	6	3
Team	28	210	7.5	1	32	39

Defense

Player	TOT	SOLO	SACKS	TFL	PD	QB HTS	TD
Jordan Howden	8	4	0	0	0	0	0
Demario Davis	7	5	0	0	0	0	0
Alontae Taylor	7	5	0	0	1	0	0
Paulson Adebo	6	3	0	0	0	0	0
Tyrann Mathieu	5	3	0	0	0	0	0
Marshon Lattimore	4	4	0	0	0	0	0
Anfernee Orji	4	2	0	2	0	0	0
Carl Granderson	3	3	0	1	0	0	0
Bryan Bresee	3	2	0	0	0	0	0
Kool-Aid McKinstry	3	2	0	0	0	0	0
Cameron Jordan	3	1	0	0	0	0	0
Johnathan Abram	3	1	0	0	0	0	0
Willie Gay	2	1	0	0	0	0	0
Adam Prentice	1	1	0	0	0	0	0
John Ridgeway III	1	1	0	0	0	0	0
Blake Grupe	1	1	0	0	0	0	0
Rico Payton	1	1	0	0	0	0	0
Khristian Boyd	1	1	0	0	0	0	0
J.T. Gray	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Nathan Shepherd	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
Payton Turner	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
Team	65	41	0	3	2	0	0

Kicking

Player	FG	PCT	LONG	XP	PTS
Blake Grupe	1/1	100	35	1/1	4

Broncos vs. Saints game summary

Sean Payton returned to his previous stomping grounds and left with a thoroughly comprehensive victory against his old team.

The tone was set right from the first quarter. The two teams exchanged punts before the Broncos got the scoreboard moving with a field goal. With Denver dominating the time of possession, the last thing the Saints needed was a fumble but that is exactly what happened as Spencer Rattler was hit when attempting to throw.

The Broncos got the ball back and scored another field goal in the ensuing drive to open the scoring in the second quarter. Another punt by the Saints allowed Bo Nix to engineer a drive that led to the first touchdown of the game by running back Javonte Williams, which made the score 13-0 in favor of the visiting team.

The two teams would exchange a couple of field goals before the home team entered the break with their fans' boos ringing in their years as they trailed 16-3.

The one-way traffic resumed in the second half with a punt by the Saints in their first drive giving the ball to the Broncos to score a field goal with their opening offensive action of the second half. Things got worse as on Denver scored on their next possession with Javonte Williams getting his second of the night.

With the score 26-3 going into the fourth quarter, the game was already out of sight with New Orleans showing no hint of offensive firepower. However, worse was to follow for the home fans as their team first turned it over on downs. The supporters in the Superdome thought they had something to cheer when the Broncos fumbled next but the Saints returned the favor in the ensuing drive.

Spencer Rattler was sacked and he lost the ball, which was recovered by Denver linebacker Cody Barton and returned for a defensive touchdown. With the score now 33-3, Dennis Allen downed tools and brought in quarterback Jake Haener to see New Orleans through garbage time.

He turned out to be the one bit of positive for the Saints in this game as he completed three of his four passes and connected for a touchdown to Cedrick Wilson Jr.

The home team then tried to mount an unlikely comeback with an onside kick but the Broncos were ready for it. A couple of kneel-downs later the game ended 33-10 in favor of the visitors, with New Orleans now falling to 2-5 and Denver improving to 4-3 for the season.