Broncos vs. Saints: 5 things to watch for on 'Thursday Night Football'

The Denver Broncos (3-3) will go on the road to face the New Orleans Saints (2-4) in Week 7 of the 2024 NFL season in a Thursday Night Football clash on Oct. 17. Going into the cross-conference matchup, here are five storylines to watch for.

1. Audric Estime’s role on offense: One day after saying he wanted to see Estime and rookie receivers Devaughn Vele and Troy Franklin get opportunities on offense, coach Sean Payton backtracked and said it’s hard to get more than two running backs involved on offense. Perhaps both things can be true — Estime deserves more touches, but the Broncos don’t have enough touches for three running backs. After Javonte Williams lost a fumble and dropped a pass last week, the backfield rotation will be worth monitoring.

2. Ja’Quan McMillian at cornerback: Denver’s final injury report will be released later today and star cornerback Pat Surtain (concussion) seems unlikely to be available for TNF. McMillian has been an excellent slot cornerback for the Broncos, but his play was not quite as refined when he was asked to play on the outside following PS2’s injury on Sunday. McMillian and Riley Moss are expected to serve as the team’s outside cornerbacks in New Orleans with Levi Wallace in the slot.

3. Denver’s defense vs. Spencer Rattler: In his first NFL start last week, Rattler was sacked five times and threw two interceptions. The rookie quarterback completed 55% of his passes for 243 yards with one touchdown. He made a few plays with his legs, rushing four times for 27 yards. Vance Joseph’s blitz-heavy defense and elite secondary could give the rookie headaches, but Denver’s line will need to contain the QB and not let him hurt them on the ground or outside the pocket.

4. Bo Nix’s quest for a complete game: Nix had a pretty good three-game stretch going into last week, then he (and the entire offense) had a dud for three quarters against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Broncos are undefeated (3-0) in games that Nix does not have a turnover this season. Denver needs to get off to a better start on Thursday and not rely on a late rally to get back in the game. Nix needs to stay composed in clean pockets and not get happy feet like he had a tendency to do against the Chargers. The rookie QB seems to be making progress, but he is yet to have a complete game.

5. Sean Payton’s return to New Orleans: Payton, of course, knows the Saints well. New Orleans coach Dennis Allen also knows Payton’s offense well. The Saints will honor former quarterback Drew Brees at halftime, making the night even more emotional for Payton. The coach is doing his best to keep his attention on the game, not his return to New Orleans. Payton is bringing a host of former Saints with him back to the Caesars Superdome, and it would not be surprising to see plays designed specifically for Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Adam Trautman and Michael Burton. Payton has great memories from his time with the Saints, but he would undoubtedly like to get a big win against his former team.

Thursday’s game will be available to stream exclusively on Prime Video.