Broncos vs. Saints final score prediction for Thursday Night Football in NFL Week 7

Thursday Night Football sees a reunion in Week 7 for Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton, who returns to New Orleans – his former team – to coach against Dennis Allen and the New Orleans Saints.

Payton has led Denver to a 3-3 start to the 2024 season under rookie quarterback Bo Nix, but Denver struggled offensively in Week 6, falling 0-0 in a 23-16 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers: 23.

However, things got much worse for the Saints. Starting quarterback Derek Carr is dealing with an injury and the team allowed 51 points in Week 6, suffering its fourth straight loss.

Rookie Spencer Rattler was solid in place of Carr, but the Saints are now 31st in opponent yards per play, a sign that they will need more from their offense to win games in 2024.

To make matters worse, New Orleans’ top receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed are both banged up in this matchup.

Based on the latest odds analysis, here is my prediction for the final outcome of this Week 7 matchup.

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

Money line

In total

That spread is moving toward the Broncos after Denver took a one-point lead on Sunday night.

Given the Saint’s many injuries, it makes sense that oddsmakers would expect Denver to win this game.

Iain MacMillan, NFL betting insider at SI Betting, hopes the Broncos win this match, and he broke down the selection in his “Road to 272” column:

Spencer Rattler had a solid first game as an NFL rookie quarterback, filling in for Derek Carr last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now, in what will likely be his second start, Rattler faces one of the NFL’s most elite defenses on a short week with the Denver Broncos. This is a nightmare situation for the Saints offense.

It’s also hard to trust the Broncos’ offense, but they may not need to score much to get the win and coverage on Thursday Night Football.

It’s worth noting that the Saints rank last in net yards per play at -1.9 in each team’s last three games. New Orleans’ hot start to the season seems like a lifetime ago.

Given New Orleans’ defensive issues lately, I think Denver’s offense will crack 20 points. If the Bronco defense plays like it did in the second half against Los Angeles, they should be able to keep Rattler in check as well.

Final Score Prediction: Broncos 20, Saints 16

Odds are updated regularly and are subject to change.

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