Saints try to end 4-game skid as ex-coach Sean Payton returns to the Superdome with the Broncos

Denver (3-3) at New Orleans (2-4)

Thursday, 8:15 p.m. EDT, Amazon Prime Video.

BetMGM NFL odds: Broncos by 2.

Series record: Broncos lead 9-3.

Against the spread: Broncos 4-2, Saints 2-3-1.

Last meeting: Saints beat Broncos 31-3 on Nov. 29, 2020, in Denver.

Last week: Broncos lost to Chargers 23-16; Saints lost to Buccaneers 51-27.

Broncos offense: overall (29), rush (23), pass (27), scoring (25).

Broncos defense: overall (4), rush (14), pass (5), scoring (4).

Saints offense: overall (18), rush (13), pass (21), scoring (T5).

Saints defense: overall (32), rush (20), pass (29), scoring (23).

Turnover differential: Broncos minus-1; Saints plus-3.

Broncos player to watch

QB Bo Nix. After three quarters Sunday against the Chargers, Nix was 4 for 14 for 27 yards, a pair of sacks and an interception. He threw for two touchdowns and nearly 200 yards in the fourth quarter, posting a 143.2 passer rating. It helped that the Broncos went up-tempo after falling behind 23-0, and they might incorporate some of that Thursday night to try to avoid another slow start.

Saints player to watch

Fourth-year cornerback Paulson Adebo made his team-leading third interception last week and leads the Saints with 10 passes defensed.

Key matchup

Saints rookie QB Spencer Rattler and an offensive line missing three starters against an imposing Broncos defensive front that has 22 sacks this season, second most in the NFL.

Key injuries

Broncos CB Patrick Surtain II will miss the game as he’s in concussion protocol. Surtain was injured on Denver’s first defensive snap in Week 6 and was replaced by Levi Wallace. Denver’s two other starting CBs, first-year starter Riley Moss (hip) and nickelback Ja’Quan McMillian (ankle) were banged up last week but full participants at practice this week. RT Mike McGlinchey (knee) returned to practice this week as did RT Alex Palczewski (ankle). ... Saints first-string QB Derek Carr is missing his second straight game with an oblique injury. WR Rashid Shaheed came out of last week's game with a knee injury that sidelined him from multiple practices this week. WR Chris Olave is in the concussion protocol and not expected to play this week. G Cesar Ruiz (knee) has missed the past three games and sat out multiple practices again this week. LB Pete Werner (hamstring) has missed the past two games and did not return to practice early this week. TE Taysom Hill (ribs) returned to practice this week on a limited basis.

Series notes

The Broncos have won five of the past six meetings, including three straight in New Orleans. ... The Saints last defeated the Broncos in the Superdome on Nov. 20, 1988. That is the only time Denver has lost to the Saints in New Orleans. Denver has won four of five games as the visiting team in the series since their first meeting on Nov. 22, 1970.

Stats and stuff

Broncos coach Sean Payton won 152 games over 15 seasons (2006-11, 2013-21) as Saints coach, the most coaching victories in franchise history. He coached New Orleans to its only Super Bowl victory in the 2009 season. ... Denver is 2-1 on the road this season ... Broncos QB Bo Nix has completed 121 of 198 passes (61.1%) for 1,082 yards and five touchdowns. He has been intercepted five times. He also has carried 37 times for 180 yards and three touchdowns. ... WR Courtland Sutton leads Broncos receivers with 21 catches for 277 yards (13.2 yard average) and two touchdowns. ... WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey spent the first three seasons of his career (2019-21) with the Saints. ... Rookie WR Troy Franklin had first career TD catch last week. ... DE Zach Allen had eight tackles, a career-high four tackles for loss and half a sack last week. He is the only player in the NFL with a TFL in six games this season and his nine TFL are tied for the NFL lead. ... LB Nik Bonitto has a sack in four straight games, the longest active streak in the NFL. ... LB Justin Strnad had seven tackles and a sack last week and has a sack in two of his past three games. ... The Broncos played in the first Super Bowl ever held in the Superdome on Jan. 15, 1978, losing to the Dallas Cowboys. The Broncos also appeared in a second Super Bowl in the Superdome on Jan. 28, 1990, losing to San Francisco. ... The Saints have lost four straight after winning their first two games of the season. ... Rookie QB Spencer Rattler, a fifth-round draft choice out of South Carolina, is scheduled to start for the second time in five days. He was 22 of 40 for 243 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in his NFL debut last week. ... RB Alvin Kamara has rushed 104 times for 428 yards (4.1 yard average) and six touchdowns while also catching 28 passes for 238 yards and a score. ... Rookie WR Bub Means had five catches for 45 yards and his first career TD in Week 6. ... LB Willie Gay had his first sack of the season last week. ... DE Cameron Jordan had third career interception last week. ... Saints coach Dennis Allen was a defensive assistant under Payton in New Orleans from 2006 to 2010 and from 2015 to 2021. He was hired as defensive coordinator during the 2015 season and remained in that role until he was promoted to head coach in 2022. ... This marks the first time Payton and Allen have opposed one another as NFL head coaches. ... While Allen coached the Raiders, he lost to the Saints in 2012, but Payton did not coach that season because of his suspension in connection with the NFL's bounty investigation of undocumented cash bonuses paid to New Orleans defensive players.

Fantasy tip

The Saints likely will have to rely heavily on Kamara, their most dynamic player, in both the running and passing games because of injuries to a couple of their top receivers.