Denver Broncos
vs.
New Orleans Saints
Week 10
NFL Pick
11/13/16
6-3 Denver travels to New Orleans in Week 10, having lost three of its last five Games, after starting the season 4-0. The Broncos are in third place in the AFC West, behind Oakland and Kansas City. The Saints are 4-4 and have won Four of their last five Games, after starting 0-3. New Orleans is a 1-point favorite, and the over/under, according to the 5Dimes Sportsbook, is 49.
Denver enters this Game in similar respect to how it entered Week 9’s Game against the Raiders. Both Games are/were on the road. Both Games feature the Broncos’ physical defense vs. one of the NFL’s premier offenses.
On the defensive side of the ball, Denver ranks 4th in the NFL, averaging giving up 311.9 yards per Game — 183.3 (1st) through the air and 128.6 (29th) on the ground. The Broncos allowed 397 yards — well above their average — to the Raiders on Sunday.
Similar to Oakland’s offense, New Orleans is proficient in passing the ball. The Saints rank 1st in the NFL in both passing (326.4) and overall yards per Game (434.5). Drew Brees is completing near 70% of his passes and has thrown 21 touchdowns, five interceptions and has only been sacked 12 times all season.
The Broncos are great at getting after the quarterback. They rank second in the league in sacks with 28, but they were only able to get to and bring down Derek Carr twice last in last week’s loss. Putting pressure on Brees will be a crucial aspect to Denver bouncing back from last week’s loss.
Getting Devontae Booker going will also be an important aspect for the Broncos. Last week he was held to only 22 yards on 10 carries in C.J. Anderson’s absence on the injured reserve.
The Denver passing Game, somewhat surprisingly, too was held in check last week. Trevor Siemian only threw for 283 yards, including a 69-yard pass, against one of the NFL’s worst pass defenses.
New Orleans ranks 30th and dead last in total and passing yards allowed per Game, respectively. Siemian will need to take advantage of having a couple of talented wideouts, in Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas, more so than he did last week. The Saints are also allowing nearly 30 points per Game. The Broncos should come in ready to take advantage of this unit after underwhelming against Oakland.
Our Pick – Saints -2