Sunday afternoon features a matchup of NFC versus AFC as the New Orleans Saints (8-2) take on the Denver Broncos (4-6). The Broncos will host this one at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium, and kickoff is scheduled for 4:05 pm ET.
The Saints may temporarily be without quarterback Drew Brees, but that did not stop them last week. They were able to take down the Atlanta Falcons 24-9 behind a solid performance from Taysom Hill. The Saints hope they can keep it rolling against the Broncos on Sunday.
For Denver, they were able to hold down Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins last week as they beat them 20-13. Aside from solid defense, they were able to get 84 yards rushing and two touchdowns from Melvin Gordon. They will certainly have a tougher matchup with New Orleans but hope to defend their home field once again this Sunday.
Despite being the road team, the New Orleans Saints are the favorites in this one. They are currently -255 to win while the Broncos’ moneyline sits at +210. The spread features the Broncos +6 while the over/under for total points is 43.5.
By The Numbers
Offensively, these two are on opposite ends of the spectrum. The Saints currently rank 5th in scoring averaging 29.5 points per game. The Broncos fall to 28th overall averaging just 20.6 points per game.
Defensively, it is once again the Saints who hold the advantage. They currently rank 9th in scoring defense as they are allowing opponents just 22.2 points per game. The Broncos rank 21st, allowing an average of 26.7 points per game.
Hill Looks To Improve With Second Start
Taysom Hill has established a niche within the Saints offense as a productive running quarterback, but last week was the first time he was expected to throw the ball consistently. Despite a solid start, he will still look to improve in his second start.
Last week, Hill went 18 for 23 for 233 yards. He didn’t have a touchdown, but he also didn’t throw an interception. On the ground, he rushed ten times for 49 yards and two scores.
He actually tied Latavius Murray (12 carries, 49 yards) for the most rushing yards in the game as lead running back Alvin Kamara rushed 13 times for 45 yards and a touchdown last week.
Defensively, the stat leaders for the Saints’ defense include Demario Davis (45 tackles), Trey Hendrickson (9.5 sacks), and Marcus Williams (3 interceptions).
Broncos Look For Home Upset
While the Broncos have put together four wins, they have had a hard time consistently putting solid games together. They have lost two of their last three, but they hope to put together back-to-back home wins.
To do so, they will turn to quarterback Drew Lock to lead the way. Lock has thrown for 1,767 yards and seven touchdowns on the season, but he has also thrown 11 interceptions.
Lock’s leading receivers this season have included Jerry Jeudy (37 catches, 589 yards, two touchdowns) and Noah Fant (39 catches, 422 yards, two touchdowns).
On the ground, Melvin Gordon and Philip Lindsay have been the rushing leaders. Gordon has 122 rushes for 523 yards and six scores, while Lindsay has rushed 73 times for 394 yards and a score.
Taking The Saints To Win And Cover
The Saints are hurt by the fact that Drew Brees is not under center, but Taysom Hill proved that he is more than capable of filling the position while Brees is out. With plenty of weapons around him and a more than capable defense, I expect the Saints to not only win against the Broncos but to cover the six-point spread as well.
