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• WHERE: Caesars Superdome (New Orleans)
• WHEN: 8:15 p.m. ET | Prime Video, NFL+

Saints fans have had this game circled on their calendars since mid-May.

Thursday marks Sean Payton's return to New Orleans to face the Saints for the first time since Payton and the team parted ways following the 2021 season. He brings his 3-3 Broncos to town after their first loss in Week 6 following three straight victories.

Emotions will be high. Payton is the Saints’ longest-tenured coach, their winningest coach and the only coach to deliver the franchise a Super Bowl championship. Payton said he doesn’t expect “flowers and warm fuzzies” upon his return but admitted how special a place New Orleans was for him.

Drew Brees also will be inducted into the Saints’ Hall of Fame, with a halftime ceremony. But even with Payton’s longtime QB in the house, the focus will be on the game itself.

“We’re in the business of collecting wins,” Payton said this week, “and this is the next one”

Saints head coach Dennis Allen, Payton’s longtime majordomo, guided them to a 2-0 start with a white-hot offense. But after scoring 91 points in the first two games, the Saints have come back to earth, scoring only 76 points combined in four straight losses.

Thursday’s game is likely to feature two rookie quarterbacks going head to head for the first time this season. Bo Nix has been Denver’s starter since Week 1, but Spencer Rattler had his first ߣ����AV start Sunday, stepping in for an injured Derek Carr against the Bucs.

Here are four things to watch for when the Broncos visit the Saints on Thursday night on Prime Video and NFL+:

1) What tricks will Payton pull out? Sean Payton rightfully earned a reputation with his unorthodox style in New Orleans -- a mix of offensive creativity and a devil-may-care attitude -- that won him a lot of games, none bigger than the onside kick that turned the tide of Super Bowl XLIV against the Colts. He hasn’t yet had the same level of success in Denver (11-12 record over parts of two seasons) but has pumped some life back into the franchise, especially after starting 0-3 and 1-5 last season. Payton has tried to put the focus this week on the game itself, and it would only be fitting if he broke out something special for this one: a trick play, some sort of fake or risky gamble. Saints fans most likely will greet Payton with warmth early, but he’ll receive a reminder of how loud it can get in the Superdome, too, when the Broncos offense is on the field. Don’t expect Payton to be too caught up in the emotional distraction, but the Saints wouldn’t mind if he was.

2) Rattler gets another shot. With starter Derek Carr injured, the Saints turned to their 2024 fifth-round pick Spencer Rattler in Week 6 over Jake Haener, a 2023 fourth-rounder who had been Carr’s backup the first several games. Rattler started off fairly well in the first half last week against the Bucs, overcoming a 17-0 deficit to give the Saints a 27-24 halftime lead. He completed 11 of 17 passes for 140 yards and a TD in the first half, also picking up a key third down with a 16-yard scramble. The second half was tougher, throwing two picks and taking four of his five sacks, as the Bucs rallied to torch the Saints, 51-27. Rattler struggled when the Bucs went to more man coverage in the second half. Perhaps getting him out of the pocket more could help. The Broncos have been a heavy blitz team this season, so you can expect consistent pressure. But they will be without All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain II, who suffered a concussion on Sunday. 

3) Nix still working through some things. For three quarters Sunday against the Chargers, Bo Nix struggled. He completed only four of his 14 passes for 27 yards, with an interception amid heavy pressure, running once for only 2 yards. But something clicked in the fourth quarter, as Nix led a furious comeback, completing 15 of 19 passes for 189 yards and two TDs, also scrambling for 59 yards. The effort came up short, but it was good to see him rally. Nix has been up and down as a rookie starter, with Payton challenging Nix at times. Twice Denver has gone into halftime with no points this season. But last week was his first interception since Week 2, and he hasn’t fumbled the entire season. Nix also gets to face a Saints defense that has turned in the wrong direction in recent games. Although they’ve forced at least one turnover in every game so far, they’ve allowed 1,094 yards from scrimmage and 59 first downs in the past two games. The Bucs scored on 10 of their 14 drives Sunday at the Superdome, turning a tight game at halftime into a laugher. What will Dennis Allen do to fix a unit that has suffered from poor tackling? Safety Tyrann Mathieu (forearm) might be available for Thursday, but linebacker Pete Werner (hamstring) will not play. 

4) Depleted Saints need backup pass catchers to step up. Perhaps the Saints will try to get their run game cranked back up. Like the offense as a whole, it looked a whole lot better through two games than in the past four. They ran for 370 yards in Weeks 1 and 2, but only 347 in the past four outings. Alvin Kamara (hand) has been limited in practice, but he figures to be a busy man -- both as a runner and receiver. One reason why is that Rattler looks to be throwing to a shorthanded group of receivers. Chris Olave will not play due a concussion suffered Sunday and Rashid Shaheed is set to undergo knee surgery. Cedrick Wilson and Bub Means have been working through injuries, too. Means and Rattler seemed to have some chemistry last week, hooking up for five catches, 45 yards and one TD, so he could be in line for even more volume. With Taysom Hill likely to remain out, tight ends Juwan Johnson and Foster Moreau might also be bigger-than-normal parts of the equation. Missing Surtain hurts, but the Broncos have thrived on defense this season, ranking in the top five in the ߣ����AV in total yards, pass yards, sack rate and red-zone defense.