Short weeks can be hard on NFL teams with less time to prepare than usual, and that puts the New Orleans Saints in a tough spot as they open Week 7 with a visit from the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football. Starting quarterback Derek Carr is expected to miss multiple weeks with an oblique injury he suffered in a Week 5 loss to the Chiefs, and the Saints will once again turn to rookie Spencer Rattler under center for another trial-by-fire start. Rattler made his first NFL start on Sunday against the Buccaneers and went 22-of-40 for 243 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions in a 51-27 blowout loss.
Rattler wasn’t the issue as much as the Saints defense was — the unit gave up nearly 600 yards of offense to Tampa Bay. The Broncos, led by fellow rookie QB Bo Nix, will be looking for a bounce-back performance after a 23-16 loss in Week 6 to the Los Angeles Chargers, in which they didn’t score until the fourth quarter. Nix has completed just over 61% of his throws this season and has five touchdown passes and five interceptions on the year heading into Week 7.
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