With the final week of the NFL Preseason on tap, it’s time to put a bow on our storylines before getting into the regular season. The Denver Broncos and New Orleans Saints have had much to settle during this schedule. Now it culminates in the Sean Payton Bowl (or Devaughn Vele Bowl) on Saturday.
The Broncos are -3.5 favorites on the road in this game on DraftKings Sportsbook. Denver is a -175 favorite on the Moneyline with the total set at 39.5 points. Let’s get into a preview, prediction, and pick for this Broncos-Saints game.
Saints vs. Broncos preview, prediction
Broncos Overview
The Broncos are on the rise, and as such, had little roster turnover this offseason. All they had to do was add in major spots. GM George Paton added Evan Engram, Dre Greenlaw, and Talanoa Hufanga in free agency, all projected starters. First-round pick Jahdae Barron is expected to start at slot corner, while second-round pick RJ Harvey is slated to get the lion’s share of RB touches ahead of new signee JK Dobbins.
They added key depth at essential positions as well. Sai’vion Jones and Que Robinson, their third and fourth-round choices, will provide pass-rushing depth. Pat Bryant, another third-rounder, and Trent Sherfield will compete for wide receiver snaps behind Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims Jr., and Troy Franklin. The last of that trio has been showing out so far.
For fantasy football purposes, the snap shares in Week 3 are worth monitoring. Though Bo Nix will only play a handful of snaps to warm up for Week 1 before ceding duties to Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ehlinger, the depth receivers should get a lot of run. Harvey should continue to prove himself while Dobbins is held out for injury precaution. In what should be a great offense, the final depth chart will swing a lot of fantasy football draft strategies as well.
Saints Overview
There is one quarterback battle left to be decided in the NFL. New Saints head coach Kellen Moore is still deciding between Spencer Rattler and rookie Tyler Shough. It’ll all come down to who performs well on Saturday and it’s been announced that Rattler gets the first turn on the field, an important indicator after they split starting duties in the first two games. This comes as no surprise after he dominated the second half in Week 2, including a game-tying two minute drill in the fourth quarter.
If Rattler comes out and plays well against an elite Broncos defense, it’s his job to lose. But Shough isn’t done just yet. Keep a close eye on this quarterback duel.
It’s not the only position up for grabs. The wide receiver battle behind Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed got a lot more interesting when the Saints traded for Broncos receiver Devaughn Vele. Brandin Cooks is back after a long sojourn out of the bayou to compete with Vele, Cedrick Wilson Jr., Dante Pettis, and Mason Tipton for roles in this group. With Olave a major injury risk, these battles carry a lot of weight.
The defense is in a very intriguing spot. OurLads.com, my favorite depth chart resource, lists 12 spots on the Saints’ defense with substitution packages included. 10 of the 24 players they project as starters or second-stringers on the defense are new additions. With rookies and free agent signings galore to sort through, expect them to play their fair share of snaps to settle the final pecking order.
Saints vs. Broncos pick, best bet
This matchup carries more intrigue than the typical end-of-preseason showdown. One team has a QB battle to settle, and the other holds two interesting backup options. Both have receiver battles to figure out and depth options to resolve. Even though the Broncos are miles ahead in terms of roster quality and playoff expectations, things should be pretty even in terms of starter/backup playing time splits.
With that being the case, I’m trusting the Broncos to carry the day as road favorites. They have quality up-and-down the roster, the motivation to play their good players enough, and competent QB play that won’t throw the game away. Sean Payton will be quietly fist pumping after the game.
