Broncos vs. Saints Point Spread: NFL Week 7 Odds, Prediction

Payton Matthews | Updated Oct 16, 2024

NFL: Los Angeles Chargers at Denver Broncos

It likely will be a matchup of rookie quarterbacks to kick off Week 7 as the Denver Broncos visit the sliding New Orleans Saints.

Denver
5-4
AT
October 17, 2024, 8:15 PM ET
Mercedes-Benz Superdome
Pointspread -3 -105
Moneyline -150
Over / Under o +37
Pointspread +3 -115
Moneyline +125
Over / Under u +37

New Orleans opened as 1-point favourites to win on the NFL odds with a total of 37.5.

NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis

There are two major story lines for this Week 7 game on Thursday night: An expected matchup between rookie quarterbacks in Denver’s Bo Nix and New Orleans’ Spencer Rattler, and a homecoming of sorts for Broncos head coach Sean Payton. He made Nix the team’s quarterback of the future when Denver chose the former Oregon star at No. 12 overall in this year’s draft, and Nix has started from the get-go in the regular season. He has struggled with accuracy and turnovers but has rushed for three scores.

The Saints have former Pro Bowl QB Derek Carr under long-term contract, but he has been just OK since signing a big free-agent deal ahead of the 2023 season. Carr missed Sunday’s loss to Tampa Bay injured and is not expected back in a short week. Rattler was a former very highly touted recruit who perhaps underachieved in college and was a fifth-round pick out of South Carolina. He made his NFL debut in the loss to the Bucs and should be under centre Thursday.

Payton was certainly the best coach in Saints history as he was there from 2006-2021 and led the franchise to its only Super Bowl title following the 2009 season. Payton took the 2022 season off and then the Broncos “traded” a 2023 first-round pick and a 2024 second-round pick to New Orleans for Payton and a 2024 third-round pick in January 2023.

Denver leads the all-time series 9-3 but was clobbered at home in the most recent one, 31-3, in 2020.

Denver Broncos

Denver had a three-game winning streak snapped Sunday in a 23-16 home loss to the Chargers, who were coming off a bye. The Broncos at least showed some character down 23-0 entering the fourth to make it interesting after Denver was shut out by at least 20 points in the first half at home for the first time in a game since 1978. Rookie QB Bo Nix’s up-and-down season continued as he completed 19 of 33 for 216 yards, two TDs and a pick while leading the team with 61 yards rushing. Nix completed 15 of 19 passes for 189 yards, two touchdowns and a 143.2 passer rating in the fourth quarter near comeback. Cornerback Patrick Surtain II, maybe the best in the NFL, left the loss with a concussion and on a short week, it’s unlikely he will play Thursday. Denver has just six wins in its past 20 road games.

New Orleans Saints

We had one NFL head coach fired last week in the Jets’ Robert Saleh, and the Saints’ Dennis Allen could be next. His team looked stellar the first two weeks but nowhere close to that level during a four-game losing streak. Allen is a defensive-minded coach and that unit allowed 51 points and nearly 600 yards in a 24-point home loss Sunday to Tampa Bay. Saints rookie QB Spencer Rattler had one good quarter in the second as that’s when New Orleans scored all 27 of its points. The Saints became the ninth team in NFL history to score at least 27 points in a single quarter and zero the rest of the game. New Orleans is also the third team in league history to win its first two games by at least 20 points and then drop the next four. Rattler finished 22-for-40 for 243 yards with a TD and two picks Sunday and should start again Thursday with usual starting QB Derek Carr expected to miss at least one more game with an oblique injury. Safety Tyrann Mathieu left Sunday’s loss early with an injury and didn’t return. The Saints are 0-5 in their past five Thursday games.

NFL Prediction: Who Will Win Broncos vs. Saints?

NFL Predictions
SportsInteraction