Chat with Yahoo Sports NFL experts Nate Tice and Charles McDonald on Saints-Broncos tonight on Yahoo Sports. (Amber Matsumoto/Yahoo Sports)
Short weeks can be tough for NFL teams with less time to prepare than usual, and that puts the New Orleans Saints in a tough spot as they open Week 7 with a visit from the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football. Starting quarterback Derek Carr is expected to miss multiple weeks due to an oblique injury he sustained in the Week 5 loss to the Chiefs, and the Saints will once again turn to rookie Spencer Rattler under center for another trial-by-fire start. The Rattler made his first NFL start Sunday against the Buccaneers and went 22-for-40 for 243 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in the 51-27 blowout loss.
The Rattlers weren't as problematic as the Saints defense — the unit gave up nearly 600 yards of offense to Tampa Bay. The Broncos, led by fellow QB Bo Nix, will be looking for a bounce-back performance after a 23-16 Week 6 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, where they didn't score until the fourth quarter. Nix has completed just over 61% of his throws this season and has five touchdown passes and five interceptions on the year heading into Week 7.
You can chat about it with other fans and Yahoo Sports NFL experts Nate Tice and Charles McDonald using our new game discussion feature in the Yahoo Sports app. You can download the app for Apple and Google here and make sure you already have the latest version Then you can open the Saints-Broncos game page, tap “Join the Discussion,” agree to the guidelines, and then join the fun.
live17 updates
Field goals: Broncos 13, Saints 3
Blake Grupp made a 35-yard field goal to cut Denver's lead to 13-3 with 1:57 left in the first half.
2-minute warning: Saints on 4th down
The Saints faced 4th-and-6 from the Broncos' 17-yard line at the 2-minute warning. New Orleans drove 52 yards in 10 plays with 5:30 off the clock.
The Saints convert a 4th-and-1
Down 13-0, the Saints went 4th-and-1 from their 30-yard line and converted on a 12-yard pass to Juwan Johnson.
Touchdown, Broncos
Jevonte Williams scored on an eight-yard touchdown run to cap an eight-play, 88-yard drive for the Broncos. Denver now leads 13-0 with 7:30 left in the second quarter.
Paulson Adebo's right leg falls into a vacuum splint
According to Kaylee Hartung of Amazon, Paulson Adebo's right leg was placed in a vacuum splint.
Al Michaels said on air that they were not going to show replays of Adebo's injury.
Saints CB Paulson Adebo left the field after going down the previous game with an apparent leg injury.
Paulson Adebo is injured, goes down after being tackled.
Trainers are applying an aircast and he will be kept off the field.
Offsides penalty wipes out Broncos touchdown
Another Spencer Rattler fumble was recovered by the Broncos' Cody Barton, who returned it for an apparent touchdown.
However, an offsides penalty by DJ Jones erased the touchdown.
Field goals: Broncos 6, Saints 0
The Broncos stalled inside the Saints' 10-yard line and had to settle for a field goal.
Will Lutz kicked a 32-yarder to give Denver a 6-0 lead.
End of 1st quarter: Broncos 3, Saints 0
Denver dominated time of possession in the first quarter (holding the ball for over 11 minutes), aided by Spencer Rattler's fumble.
Bo Nix completed a 12-yard pass to Troy Franklin for the final play of the quarter. Denver starts on 1st-and-10 from the Saints' 17-yard line.
Saints reverse it
Spencer Rattler is sacked for a seven-yard loss by Cody Burton. He fumbled, which was reviewed to see if his arm was coming forward before losing the ball. But the replay confirmed the call on the field. Kwon stands unsteady recovery by Alexander.
The Broncos took over at their 45-yard line after the turnover.
Broncos lead 3-0 on field goal
Denver's second possession stalled out at the Saints' 28-yard line. On 4th-and-3, Will Lutz made a 46-yard field goal to give the Broncos a 3-0 lead.
The Broncos are driving on their 2nd possession
After that drive-opening 32-yard pass, the Saints couldn't get a first down on their next three plays and had to punt.
Denver takes over and is moving the ball. They gained positive yardage on the first six plays of their second possession, highlighted by a 20-yard catch and run from Devon Veale.
Spencer Rattler's first pass goes for 32 yards
New Orleans is starting a rookie quarterback tonight with Spencer Rattler. His first pass of the Saints' opening possession went 32 yards to Foster
Bo Nix missed a wide open Troy Franklin
Bo Nix got the yardage on his feet, running twice for 22 yards on the Broncos' opening possession. But he missed a wide-open Troy Franklin for what would have been a touchdown on the drive's fifth play.
Bo Nix's ground game has been effective so far
On Denver's first play of the game, Bo Nix scrambled for 14 yards.
Two plays later, he ran for eight yards on a run-pass option.
“That will be the hardest part.”
Speaking to Amazon's Charissa Thompson, Broncos coach Sean Payton admitted it will be tough to coach against the players he coached at Saints.
“That will be the hardest part. When the game is over, I have a lump in my throat just thinking about it… They are special.”
— Sean Payton saw his former players tonight like Demario Davis and Cam Jordan pic.twitter.com/ziBCYRl8zz
Cornerback Patrick Sartain II headlines the Broncos inactives for Week 7's “Thursday Night Football” matchup. For the Saints, receiver Chris Olave is among the notable names tonight along with Taysom Hill.
