Two rookie quarterbacks face off on Thursday Night Football when the Broncos vs. Saints kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET. The Broncos will look to bounce back after losing at home last week. The Saints need to find a win, losing their last 4 games after an explosive start to the season. Denver heads to New Orleans as 2.5 point road favorites. Which rookie will prevail on Thursday night?
Game Matchup & Betting Odds
Denver Broncos (-2.5) at New Orleans Saints (+2.5) o/u 36.5
8:15 p.m. ET, Thursday, October 17, 2024
Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, LA
TV: AMAZON
Public Betting: Public Bettors Backing Home Team
As of this writing, our NFL Public Betting page shows that 64% of bets are on New Orleans. That said, this page is updated frequently so make sure that you click on the link provided so that you’re getting the most updated information.
Denver Broncos
The Broncos were riding high with 3 straight wins before taking on the Los Angeles Chargers, where they lost 23-16. The Chargers were winning 23-0 entering the 4th quarter, but Bo Nix and the Broncos made an effort for a comeback scoring 16 and giving up 0 in the final period. Bo Nix completed 57% of his passes for 216 yards. He added two touchdowns and an interception. Nix’s Oregon teammate Troy Franklin had his biggest game of his young career, with 2 receptions for 31 yards and his first touchdown in the NFL. Star cornerback Pat Surtain II was ruled out for Thursday night after he suffered a concussion against the Chargers.
New Orleans Saints
The Saints kicked off their season with a 47-10 smashing of the Carolina Panthers and followed it up with a 44-19 beat down of the Dallas Cowboys. Since then, New Orleans have lost 4 straight games. Derek Carr got hurt during the Chiefs game so it was rookie Spencer Rattler who got his first professional start in a 51-27 loss to Tampa Bay. A 5th round pick out of South Carolina, Rattler completed 22 of his 40 pass attempts for 243 yards against the Buccaneers last week. He had a touchdown and 2 interceptions and rushed for 27 yards. The Saints defense did manage 3 interceptions and 5 sacks while giving up 44 points (one fumble return TD by Bucs).
Injury wise, the Saints are a mess. Derek Carr is listed as doubtful but hasn’t practiced all week so barring something crazy happening it will be Rattler getting his second start. Unfortunately he will be without some of his top receivers. Rashid Shaheed will have surgery on a meniscus injury and Chris Olave was ruled out with a concussion. Taysom Hill is currently listed as doubtful. Right guard Cesar Ruiz was ruled out again and Center Lucas Patrick is currently questionable.
Broncos vs. Saints Betting Trends
Denver is 5-1 SU in their last 6 games against New Orleans
The UNDER is 4-1 in Denver’s last 5 games against New Orleans
New Orleans is 1-3 ATS in their last 4 games
The OVER is 5-2 in New Orleans’ last 7 games
Broncos vs. Saints Breakdown:
The Saints are down bad with injuries. Spencer Rattler didn’t look too bad in his first start but losing two of the team’s best receivers doesn’t help. Rookies Mason Tipton and Bub Means, along with Cedrick Wilson, will be the teams receivers in this game. In place of Patrick Surtain will be 7th year pro out of Alabama, Levi Wallace. Wallace was graded with a 91 by PFF for his performance against the Chargers after Surtain left the game. Denver’s defense is very strong overall, allowing 16 points per game which is 4th in the league. They allow 4 yards per rush attempt, and are 6th in the league in pass yards allowed at 170.
New Orleans is 23rd in points allowed at 24.5. They give up the most yards per game at 395.8, the second most yards per play at 6.1, and are 29th in the league in opponent pass yards at 262.2. Bo Nix started off the season very poorly, throwing 4 interceptions and 0 touchdowns in the first 2 games. Despite his age he is still a rookie so struggling a bit early on is expected. In the last 3 games, he has 5 passing touchdowns to 1 interception.
Broncos vs. Saints Prediction:
I’m rolling with the Broncos in this one to cover the 2.5 point spread. They have won and covered the spread in 3 of their last 4 games. The Saints have lost 4 straight and are 1-3 ATS in that time. The New Orleans offense is not in good shape and they are going against a very strong defense. The Broncos offense on the other hand has looked better the last few weeks and they are going against a very poor defense. I’ll take the rookie starting his 7th game with the better players on offense and the better defense.
Broncos vs. Saints Prediction: Broncos -2.5
