Denver, CO
Our defense vs their offense: Denver Broncos
The New Orleans Saints host the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football in Sean Payton’s return to New Orleans.
I’m just going to be straight up honest; the Saints defense was awful on Sunday. They got completely exposed by Baker Mayfield, and despite forcing three interceptions, they gave up 51 points. It was an absolutely pathetic effort by everyone involved.
This week, they get a Broncos offense who isn’t performing at a very high level. They’re scoring just 18 points per game, which ranks 25th in the league, and are still going through some growing pains with rookie quarterback, Bo Nix. However, I will say Nix has looked better the past couple weeks.
I still believe the Saints have the playmakers on defense to be really good, but they just need to be more physical. In Sunday’s loss to Tampa, the Saints missed 15 tackles and gave up 242 yards after the catch. Mayfield threw for 315 yards, meaning that nearly 77% of his yards came after the catch. That is just unacceptable.
Unfortunately for the Saints, their tackling is going to be tested again this week against Denver. Bo Nix does not like to throw the ball downfield (just like in his college days), with over 60% of his attempts covering less than nine air yards and 50% of his yards coming after the catch. If they can’t get the Broncos receivers on the ground on first contact, it could be another long day for them defensively.
They are a bit fortunate, however, that the Broncos aren’t very super at rushing the football. They rank 23rd in the league in yards per game (107) and 18th in yards per attempt (4.3). Not horrible numbers, but nothing that’ll make you shake in your boots.
The Saints defense started the season off great against the run, but they’ve fallen off drastically since then. They now rank 20th in rushing yards allowed per game (133) and 30th in yards per attempt allowed (5.2). Those numbers are just unacceptable when your defense is supposed to be the strength of your team.
The Saints defense also ranked towards the top of the league in sacks through two weeks, but in their last three games, their 1.3 sacks per game put ranks 27th in the NFL. Things won’t get any easier in the sack department either, because the Broncos currently rank 5th in the NFL in sacks allowed, only giving up 1.5 per game.
This week is really going to tell us a lot about the Saints defense. Are they going to lay another egg and show us that maybe they’re not as good as we thought they were early in the season? Or are they going to bounce back with a big-time performance against Sean Payton’s offense and remind everyone that they’re still one of the premier units in the league?
I hope it’s the latter, but I’m not entirely sure to be honest.
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If you use Santa Fe Drive as a part of your daily commute, you will notice full closures this weekend on a popular section, from Florida Avenue to Evans Avenue, for the installation of a pedestrian bridge.
Once the 370-foot pedestrian bridge is completed, it will connect the east and west portions of Denver’s Overland neighborhood. This bridge will be used by pedestrians and bicyclists.
The Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure says this closure is needed to keep the traveling public safe. Large cranes will be used to set the two spans in place. Each one weighs about 215,000 pounds and is 180 feet long.
Once the bridge is completed in 2027, it will create a safer connection for pedestrians and bicyclists. It will link neighborhoods to trails, transit, parks, and local businesses without requiring residents to cross heavy traffic.
“Our neighborhood is quartered by transportation routes, so having a safe pedestrian bridge that can take people from one side to the other is an amazing development that neighbors have been asking for for years,” Jenn Greiving, President, Overland Park Neighborhood Association, said.
The Santa Fe Drive closure will begin at midnight on Saturday, July 11, and end on Monday, July 13, at 5 a.m. There will be detours in place. This includes:
- Southbound Santa Fe Drive Detour: Traffic will be routed to Platte River Drive to reenter southbound Santa Fe Drive at the West Evans Avenue on-ramp.
- Northbound Santa Fe Drive Detour: Access to northbound Santa Fe Drive will be at Mississippi Avenue via South Broadway Street.
- On-Ramp Closure: The West Evans Avenue on-ramp to northbound Santa Fe Drive will close at noon on Friday, July 10, to prepare for the full weekend closure and will remain closed until 5 a.m. on Monday, July 13. Traffic will be detoured to South Broadway Street to re-enter northbound Santa Fe Drive via Mississippi Avenue.
- Off-Ramp Closure: The southbound Santa Fe Drive off-ramp to West Evans Avenue will close for the full weekend period and remain closed until Friday, Sept. 11, while crews build new sidewalks and perform other concrete work at the southwest corner of the project. Detours will be posted to West Florida Avenue, West Dartmouth Avenue or West Hampden Avenue to bypass the ramp closure
During this closure, DOTI will reopen the underpass on Iowa Avenue. This is a new ADA accessible pathway that will be available between Santa Fe Drive and Acoma Street.
DENVER (KDVR) — Two officers, one now formerly of the Denver Police Department, face multiple charges relating to separate incidents in the past two months.
According to a release, now-former Denver Police Officer Gabriel Lucero was issued a citation for third-degree assault, official misconduct and false reporting, while Officer Javon Leach was cited for reckless driving and eluding.
The incident involving Lucero reportedly occurred on May 22 just before 1 a.m. in the 500 block of 16th Street. According to a release, Lucero was involved in an assault at a business, as he allegedly assaulted a person and walked away as others continued to assault the victim.
Security guards and an off-duty officer escorted him and the group out; however, Lucero reportedly identified himself as a Denver police officer and attempted to re-enter by using his police badge.
Lucero reportedly provided a false name without any other information, and further investigation verified Lucero as the person involved. Lucero was hired in 2025 and, due to his current probationary status, was fired as of Wednesday.
The incident involving Leach occurred around 1:41 a.m. on June 21, when Leach was reportedly pulling out of a parking lot on Larimer Street, attempting to drive against traffic.
Leach reportedly refused commands to stop as he left the area. Officials said he was found just seven minutes later, traveling at high speeds northbound on Park Avenue West.
He reportedly fled a traffic stop and continued to drive away, and officials deemed Leach to be the suspect following an investigation. He was placed in an off-line assignment while the case progresses, as they are considered misdemeanors.
“The Denver Police Department’s administrative review of Leach’s incident will begin once the criminal case is adjudicated, and that process includes the Denver Department of Safety and the Office of the Independent Monitor, a civilian oversight agency,” the release said.
Denver Nuggets standout forward Peyton Watson could find himself on another team before you know it.
With the Nuggets reportedly open to a sign-and-trade of Watson, could Denver really lose a core piece to their rotation?
It’s hard to imagine many teams being able to shoulder the financial weight of a Watson contract at this point because of the aprons and such, but he’s absolutely an asset to any contending team.
We’ve gone through and identified a few teams that make sense for Watson in the fall… including the one he’s already on at the moment. Hey, he might stay home, you never know!
The Clippers have been linked to Watson as a possible destination; he could help them immensely.
The Pistons have also been linked to Watson, which would help them a lot to contend for an NBA title.
Look, HYPOTHETICALLY, the Nets could move around some cap space with some player trades and such and get a deal done. They are one of the only teams in the NBA right now not in the negative with cap space.
The Grizzlies are the team with the least amount of negative cap space right now, per Spotrac. If they really wanted to pull off a Watson sign-and-trade… it would be hypothetically possible from a money standpoint.
Denver Nuggts
Look, it’s very possible Watson just stays in Denver on a brand-new deal. Who knows at this point?
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