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In his first game back in New Orleans since stepping down as the Saints’ head coach after 16 seasons, Sean Payton led his Denver Broncos to a resounding 33-10 road victory on Thursday evening.
On this night, franchise legend Drew Brees, who played under Payton from 2006-2020, was honored with an induction into the franchise’s Hall of Fame.
The two led the Saints to many wins and turned the Caesars Superdome into a house of horrors for many teams. New Orleans won seven NFC South titles and one Super Bowl with those two guiding the franchise.
Those days are long gone as the Saints have now lost five straight under head coach Dennis Allen, who formerly worked as the team’s defensive coordinator before being promoted in 2022. This week ultimately represents the low point after New Orleans hosted and lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 51-27 last Sunday.
Denver ultimately crushed the shorthanded Saints, a team beset by injuries (e.g. quarterback Derek Carr and wideouts Chris Olave and Rasheed Shaheed).
On this day, the Broncos’ run game thrashed the Saints defense for 225 rushing yards. Running back Javonte Williams galloping for 111 yards from scrimmage and two scores. Rookie quarterback Bo Nix had a quiet night through the air (16-of-26, 164 passing yards) but continued the ground onslaught with 75 rushing yards. Denver drove the ball well all night, leading to four Wil Lutz field goals as well.
Meanwhile, the Saints got nothing going on offense. Their only touchdown was in garbage time when Jake Haener came in relief for Spencer Rattler and found Cedrick Wilson for a 12-yard score with 1:22 left. New Orleans’ offense also gave up a touchdown when Cody Barton returned a Rattler fumble 52 yards for a 33-3 lead following the PAT.
Denver also held star Saints running back Alvin Kamara in check with just 10 yards on seven carries and 14 yards on six receptions.
And so Payton emerged victorious at the place he once called home. This time, it was as a member of the visiting sideline, but it’s all smiles for Payton as he guided his team back over .500 at 4-3.
Payton led the Saints to a 63.1 percent win rate (152-89) and the team’s lone Super Bowl during his time there. New Orleans made the playoffs in nine of 15 seasons and never finished worse than 7-9.
He stepped down after the 2021 season, telling reporters that his “heart” wasn’t into coaching.
“I don’t know what is next,” Payton said. “My heart’s just not in coaching right now. It’s just not at all.”
Payton ultimately took two years away from the sidelines before accepting the Denver job. The Broncos are in promising shape now at 4-3 and with a rookie quarterback that’s shown flashes. This game certainly served as the high point of the season with Payton enjoying a big win against his ex-team.
NFL fans praised Payton during the huge “revenge game” win.
Payton and the 4-3 Broncos will now host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, Oct. 27. The 2-5 Saints’ schedule doesn’t get any easier with a road game against the 3-2 Los Angeles Chargers up next.
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