Key ingredients for victory: Saints vs. Broncos

Rattler isn’t the only rookie quarterback starter in this game. Denver’s Bo Nix has started all six games for the Broncos and has completed 61 percent of his passes for 1,082 yards with five touchdowns and five interceptions. He has thrown just one interception in the last four games, so the defense will have to create opportunities from a quarterback who has protected the ball. The Saints had three picks against Tampa Bay and have 10 this season, but that number will only increase as the pressure mounts. Four sacks in the last three games is just not good enough. Nix has been sacked just nine times and has run for 180 yards and three touchdowns on 37 carries. The number of times mobile quarterbacks have done serious damage to the Saints defense over the past three to four seasons easily tops 10 and could even reach the low 20s. Getting close doesn’t work often enough; Getting Nix on the spot is paramount. Can Dennis Allen’s defense confuse the rookie?

New Orleans has to be the cleanest version of itself to help Rattler. That means taking offensive penalties in advance and minimizing annoying penalties for defense. New Orleans is already so far into the season that some of these problems are a lot less noticeable and frequent.

While Saints players and coaches have worked to focus on the task at hand and not the circus surrounding Payton’s return, fans have no such responsibilities or limitations. They desperately want these Saints to add an “L” to Payton’s resume, and they’ll be on edge. If the team can get an early start and keep the crowd engaged, it will go a long way in adding to the adrenaline rush. Obviously, this is a big game for a team that last lost four straight, but it also carries a lot of weight for the fan base that Payton helped rejuvenate after Hurricane Katrina.