Rookie Quarterbacks Headline Primetime Duel On Thursday Night Football

Two highly touted former collegiate quarterbacks face off as rookie starters when the Saints take on the Broncos this Thursday.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (18) / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Thursday night's matchup between the New Orleans Saints and Denver Broncos features several intriguing storylines. Broncos coach Sean Payton returns to the Superdome to coach against the franchise that he led for 15 years with nine playoff appearances and a Super Bowl championship.

Payton's quarterback for those years was the incomparable Drew Brees. The Saints will honor Brees at halftime of this game, marking his induction into the franchise's Hall of Fame. This will be the latest in a few more honors to come for Brees, who should also rightfully have his number retired by the team.

Dennis Allen will oppose Payton as coach of the Saints on the other sideline. Allen was a defensive assistant on Payton's first New Orleans staff in 2006. He was with Payton for 12 of those years, including serving as the secondary coach for the Super Bowl XLIV team. Most of the assistants on the Denver staff, along with seven players, followed the coach from New Orleans, marking several reunions on the night.

Lastly, Thursday's matchup also involves a showdown between two promising rookie quarterbacks.

Bo Nix, Broncos

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) looks to pass against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Nix was the sixth of six quarterbacks drafted in the first round, taken with the 12th overall selection. He started his collegiate career at Auburn, where he threw for 7,250 yards over three years with 39 touchdowns, 16 interceptions, and a 59.4% completion percentage.

After the 2021 season, Nix would transfer to Oregon. Over the next two years he'd be one of the most prolific passers in college football. He threw for 8,101 yards in those two years while completing 74.9% of his throws with 74 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Nix led the NCAA in completion percentage in both 2022 and 2023 while leading the nation in touchdowns and completions last year. His 4,508 passing yards in 2023 was second in the NCAA and helped him to 2023 Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year honors.

From the onset of the year, Nix was starting behind center for Payton and the Broncos. The results have been mixed, but Denver manages to come into this game with a 3-3 record after winning three of their last four.

Nix has completed 61.1% of his passes so far for 1,082 yards with five touchdown passes and five interceptions. Not overly impressive numbers, but he's shown improvement in nearly every outing. He's also made plays with his legs, escaping from pressure consistently and rushing for 180 yards with three touchdowns.

Spencer Rattler, Saints

New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (18) passes the football against the San Francisco 49ers / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Rattler was the next quarterback taken after Nix in this spring's draft. However, that wasn't until the 15th choice of the fifth round with the 150th overall selection. Like Nix, Rattler started his career with great fanfare in one power conference before transferring to another with even better results.

Backing up future NFL star Jalen Hurts at Oklahoma in 2019, Rattler got his chance with the Sooners in 2020. He responded with 3,031 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, and a 67.5% completion percentage to lead the Big 12 in all three categories.

Entering 2021 as a Heisman Candidate, Rattler actually lost his job to future Heisman winner Caleb Williams midway through the year. He'd transfer to South Carolina after the season.

In two years with the Gamecocks, Rattler completed 67.5% of his throws for 6,212 yards and 37 touchdowns with 20 interceptions. He led the SEC with 12 interceptions in 2022, but bounced back to finish near the top of the conference in every passing category last season.

Rattler had a solid training camp and preseason, going through some ups and downs but flashing impressive tools. Nonetheless, he'd start the year as the Saints emergency third quarterback through the first five games. Things changed drastically when starter Derek Carr was injured in the final quarter of a Week 5 loss to Kansas City.

In somewhat of a surprise last week, Rattler got the start in place of Jake Haener, who had been the backup behind Carr. Facing an aggressive and experienced defense in Tampa Bay, Rattler had some good moments but also made some mistakes you'd expect from a rookie making his first start.

Rattler completed 22 of 40 attempts for 243 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions against the Buccaneers. He also ran for 27 yards and showed good mobility, but was sacked five times.

Rattler was especially impressive in the first half, completing 11 of 17 throws for 140 yards with a scoring pass. Despite falling behind 17-0 in the first quarter, he showed nice poise and helped engineer the Saints to 27 second quarter points and a halftime lead.

Rookie Challenges

New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (18) scrambles out the pocket against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Nix engineers a Denver offense that ranks a pedestrian 29th in total offense, including 27th in passing production and 23rd in rushing. His top weapons include versatile running backs Javonte Williams and Jaleel Mclaughlin. Big play threats Troy Franklin and Marvin Mims complement big-bodied wideout Courtland Sutton at wide receiver.

The Broncos face a reeling Saints defense that ranks dead last in total yardage, 29th against the pass, and 20th against the run.

New Orleans has had several crucial defensive breakdowns, allows an embarrassing 5.2 per rush, and has given up a whopping 1,054 yards of total offense in the last two weeks. However, the Saints have a few playmakers on this side of the ball like linemen Carl Granderson, Chase Young, Bryan Bresee, LB Demario Davis, and corners Marshon Lattimore and Alontae Taylor.

Rattler leads a New Orleans offense that got off to an incredible start with 91 points in the first two weeks but has been slowed greatly by injuries. The Saints now rank 18th in total yardage, 21st in passing yards, and 13th in rushing production.

New Orleans faces a stout Denver defense that ranks fourth overall, fifth against the pass, and 14th against the run. They'll be doing it without injured wideouts Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, no Taysom Hill, and injury replacements at both guards and center.

Additionally, the inexperienced Rattler also be squaring off against the Broncos on a short week of preparation. How he handles that short week with little more than RB Alvin Kamara behind an interior line with third-stringers and practice squad players may determine the results of his showdown against fellow rookie Bo Nix.