The New Orleans Saints won an unusual game over the Denver Bronocos. The Saints cruised to a dominating 31-3 against a Broncos squad that had all of its quarterbacks out because of COVID-19 protocols. Practice squad wide receiver Kendall Hinton ended up as the primary quarterback for Denver.
There were only 25 combined-passes as both teams went with a run-heavy gameplan. Hinton went just 1-9 for 13 yards with no touchdowns and 2 interceptions (for what it's worth, he had fewer interceptions and the same amount of touchdowns as Tom Brady in the Buccaneers' last game against the Saints) while Hill went 9-16 for 78 yards with no touchdowns and 1 interception.
“Yesterday was tailor-made to run the football,” WWL NFL analyst Mike Detillier said. “The Broncos weren't going to score. You could just see with what they had at quarterback it was going to be a difficult spot. The only way they were going to put points on the point – and I'm talking about multiple scores – is if you turn the ball over.
“So you run the football,” Detillier continued. “You play physical up-front. And it's the body blows. If you run the football early and you make the commitment that you're going to run, man, it's like in a boxing match. You're just body-blowing them constantly. It takes its toll late in the game, and you saw it yesterday.”
New Orleans ran the ball 44 times for 229 yards (5.2 yards per carry) for 4 touchdowns. Latavius Murray led the way with 19 carries for 124 yards and 2 touchdowns. Hill had the other 2 touchdowns on 44 yards while Alvin Kamara churned out 54 yards.
“The Saints ran the football effectively, and they did it without their left side,” Detillier said. “Andrus Peat and Terron Armstead didn't play in that game. I was glad to see Latavius Murray get a lot more touches yesterday. He was the Saints first 100 yard rusher since Murray did it a year ago against the Cardinals.”
It was the third 100 yard rushing game for Murray with the Saints and his first of the season. It was also his highest rushing total in the Black and Gold. For the Saints as a whole, it was the team's highest rushing total since the 51-14 blowout of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2018.
“It's about running the football, controlling the clock, and finding a way to win,” Detillier said. “It may not be fantasy football or whatever, but it's what it takes to win. And it was the body blows the Saints gave running the football that won them that game on offense.”
The Saints probably won't face a situation like they did against the Broncos again, but they did show they're capable of delivering those body blows if they need to. The Atlanta Falcons are next up for New Orleans.
