This week’s edition of Thursday Night Football doesn’t have much star power.
The pregame narrative: Sean Payton returns to the Superdome when the Denver Broncos take on the New Orleans Saints. I’m backing Denver to win as a road favourite and am fading New Orleans’ rookie quarterback, Spencer Rattler.
Check out my Broncos vs. Saints best bets for the Week 7 Thursday Night Football matchup.
Broncos vs. Saints best bets
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Best bet: Broncos moneyline (-124)
A primetime game is a primetime game but man, this could be a tough watch.
It’s too early to disqualify most teams from the playoffs, but it would be a shock to see Denver (3-3) or New Orleans (2-4) playing meaningful games in January. Both squads have struggled on offence and are starting 24-year-old rookie quarterbacks.
Bo Nix hasn’t been anything special for the Broncos but he’s at least tidied things up after an 0-2 start. The Oregon product is 3-1 in his last four games with six total touchdowns to one interception.
Rattler got his first taste of the NFL last week and it had to be one of the most bizarre debuts in history.
He completed 22-of-40 passes for 243 yards and a touchdown while throwing two interceptions. The Saints were shut out in three of the four quarters but scored 27 second-quarter points en route to a 51-27 defeat.
New Orleans’ top receiver — Chris Olave — left that game early with a concussion and didn’t practice on Monday.
That will make things even harder for Rattler against a Denver defence thst has allowed the fourth-fewest points (16.0) and yards (284.3) per game.
Key stat: New Orleans is 1-5 straight up as a home underdog under Dennis Allen.
Quick pick
Rattler under 180.5 passing yards (-113): Rattler was asked to throw the ball 40 times in his debut and it didn’t go so well. Sure, the rookie blew by this total, but it was far from efficient.
With Olave out, Klint Kubiak’s gameplan should feature a heavy dosage of Alvin Kamara. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Rattler only attempt around 25 passes on Thursday, the majority of which won’t be past the first-down sticks.
But I would sign up for fading Rattler even if he did throw a bunch.
The Buccaneers allow the fifth-most passing yards per game while the Broncos allow the fifth-fewest. Patrick Surtain II is questionable with a concussion but the rest of Vance Joseph’s secondary still has teeth.
I can’t see Denver scoring enough points to force New Orleans into a pass-heavy attack. This game will be a slog and Rattler will look like a rookie.
Picks made at 3:34 p.m. ET 10/15/2024.
Avery joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2022 before stepping into a full-time role soon after. He loves betting on and analyzing golf — mainly because it’s easier than actually playing — but is a fan of all sports, from the NFL to the UFC.