Week 7 kicks off with a cross-conference matchup, as the Denver Broncos take on the New Orleans Saints in The Big Easy on “Thursday Night Football.” Come chat with us in our open thread.
The Denver Broncos (3-3) and head coach Sean Payton, will travel to his old stomping grounds to take on the New Orleans Saints to kick off Week 7. Over 15 seasons in New Orleans, Payton won a franchise record 152 games, including a Super Bowl victory in 2009. In the 2022 offseason, the Saints traded Payton to the Broncos and New Orleans turned to current coach Dennis Allen to lead them back to prominence.
The Broncos dropped their first two games of the season (Seahawks and Steelers) before taking advantage of the “Lions Hangover” and securing their first win of the season over the Buccaneers, then taking down the Jets and Raiders in the next two weeks. They’re coming off a loss to the Chargers and will be looking to get back into a winning rhythm against a beat-up Saints team.
The Saints convincingly won their first two games of the season, scoring over 40 points in each game, but it’s been downhill from there. They lost to the Eagles, Falcons, Chiefs, and Buccaneers over the last four weeks and have been dealing with a slew of injuries. Heading into this game, the Saints had 18 (!) players on their injury report, ruling out five starters and listing quarterback Derek Carr as doubtful after not practicing the last two weeks.
With Carr officially ruled inactive, it looks like it’ll be a battle between rookie quarterbacks as the Saints’ Spencer Rattler and Broncos’ Bo Nix look to get their team back in the win column.
Betting line and pick for the game
With the Saints dealing with loads of injuries and losing their last four games, it’s not surprising to see the folks over at FanDuel Sportsbook set the betting line at Broncos -2.5 points.
With rookies under center and injuries galore, I’m not expecting a smooth game. The Saints have the firepower to put points up on the board but I’m not sure they can overcome their obstacles.
Prediction: Broncos 24-20
Here’s how to watch tonight’s game:
Broncos at Saints
Date: Thursday, October 17, 2024
Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Location: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
TV (stream): Amazon Prime
Announcers: Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit, and Kaylee Hartung (field reporter)
Additional online Streaming: NFL Sunday Ticket via YouTube, NFL+ Premium
Enjoy the game and come chat with us in the comments!
