NEW ORLEANS — The biggest storyline going into the Thursday night game between the Broncos and the Saints was the return of head coach Sean Payton to New Orleans.
Payton became one of the most successful head coaches of his generation primarily because of the offense he guided with the Saints.
Now in his second season with the Broncos, it is the defense of Payton’s team that is primarily responsible for a recent surge.
Head coaches are judged by the success of their entire team, not just the unit that they are primarily responsible for. And Payton is showing the ability to guide a team to success in different ways.
He and the state of the two franchises he has led are a case study in the difficulty of sustaining success in the NFL.
Payton, who resigned from the Saints after the 2021 season, watched as a head coach from the visitors’ sideline in the Caesars Superdome for the first time as the Denver defense stifled the injury-riddled New Orleans offense in a 33-10 victory.
The Broncos (4-3) won for the fourth time in five games, and they have allowed an average of just 11 points in four victories. Even in their three losses, they have allowed just 26, 13 and 23 points.
Denver didn’t allow a touchdown until less than 90 seconds remained in Thursday’s rout and limited the Saints’ offense to 271 yards, nearly a third of which came after the visitors had taken a 30-point lead.
It was dominance from one side. Disaster for the other.
Payton is hoping rookie No. 1 draft choice Bo Nix can eventually evolve into the leader of an offense that might rival the one Drew Brees directed for 15 seasons, as Payton-coached teams made nine playoff appearances and won New Orleans’ only Super Bowl after the 2009 season.
In the meantime, the play of the defense is allowing Payton to be patient with Nix.
Nix passed for just 164 yards against the Saints, but he added 75 rushing yards on 10 carries and Javonte Williams added two rushing touchdowns and 111 yards from scrimmage.
Ironically, while the offensive-minded Payton’s team is getting better thanks largely to its defense, Dennis Allen, who was promoted to succeed Payton because of the success he had as Payton’s defensive coordinator, has seen his defense deteriorate.
Now 2-5, Allen’s team has lost five straight games.
The Broncos finished with 225 rushing yards four days after the Saints allowed 227 rushing yards (and 594 total yards) in a 51-27 home loss to Tampa Bay.
Denver settled four times for field goals by Wil Lutz, but that wasn’t problematic because New Orleans’ offense was never able to gain traction against the fourth-ranked defense in the NFL.
Rookie fifth-round draft choice Spencer Rattler made his second consecutive start in place of injured Derek Carr and completed 25 of 35 passes for 172 yards. He was missing his top two wide receivers, Chris Olave (concussion) and Rashid Shaheed, who underwent knee surgery Thursday that reportedly will sideline him for the rest of the season, and was sacked five times behind a makeshift offensive line and lost two fumbles.
By the way, the outcome gave Payton a victory against the last of the 32 NFL teams that he had not previously defeated in his first crack at his former employer.
While his current team is ascending in the AFC standings, his former team is sinking to the depths of the NFC.
A continuation of the current trends means New Orleans would be seeking a new head coach for the second time in four years after Payton held the position for 16 years.
And from the looks of it all, Payton is just getting started in Denver.