Broncos could play big factor in key decision facing Saints in preseason finale

Travis Wakeman

Broncos could play big factor in key decision facing Saints in preseason finale image

The Denver Broncos will battle the New Orleans Saints on Saturday with the final spots on the 53-man roster up for grabs. However, the biggest storyline in this game lies with the Saints. 

The Saints are the only team that has yet to announce its starting quarterback for the coming season. Still deciding between Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough, both quarterbacks will get their chances against the Broncos on Saturday. Rattler will get the start

The Broncos have been particularly stingy on defense this preseason, allowing 16 total points in two games. 

QBs vs. Broncos in two preseason games

Completions: 32
Attempts: 55
Completion %: 58.1
Yards: 206
Touchdowns: 1
Interceptions: 3
QB Rating: 49.5

Looking at those numbers, it might not be the best defense for Rattler and Shough to try their hand at, but that's what they have to work with. 

The Broncos may take it a bit easier in the preseason finale as many of the questions with this roster have likely been answered and they won't want to see any key players go down with injury. But even the second and third-team guys have looked good for the Broncos this summer, so the Saints quarterbacks could be in for a tough night. 

The Broncos met on Thursday Night Football last October and Rattler drew the start in that game. He went 25-of-35 passing for 172 yards, but he led his team to just 10 points and was sacked six times in a loss. 

READ: Broncos must find a way to keep these four players

The Saints took Shough in the second round (No. 40 overall) in this year's draft. If he wins the job, he would be the first Saints rookie to open a season as the starting quarterback since Archie Manning in 1971. The Broncos can relate to that, as Bo Nix was the first rookie to start for the Broncos last season since John Elway in 1983. 

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Travis Wakeman

Travis Wakeman has been covering the NFL since 2012 when he started with Bleacher Report. After reporting about the Broncos there until 2016, he joined the FanSided network as a site expert covering the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers while simultaneously covering the Broncos at Broncos Wire when that site launched. He then took over the Broncos site at FanSided in March 2020 and covered the team there until spring of 2024. A lifelong Broncos fan and fan of the game, Travis is filled with sometimes useless NFL knowledge, but it always serves him well in any trivia contest. You can follow him on Twitter/X @traviswakeman10.