By Brett Martel- Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Sean Payton made a point of getting to the Superdome long before he normally would for a game — six hours before kickoff — so he could ease into his emotional return to a place where he coached on the home sideline for a decade and a half.
“I’m glad I was here early,” Payton said, reflecting on the heady times in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, when the Saints became a morale-boosting, inspirational force in the lives of rebuilding residents.
“That was a unique time,” Payton recalled. “None of us understood what it would mean and how big it would become. Coming back here is different and kind of special.”
And made better by seeing his current team, the Denver Broncos, win handily.
Javonte Williams rushed for two touchdowns, Cody Barton returned a fumble 52 yards for a score, and the Broncos beat the banged-up and reeling Saints 33-10 on Thursday night.
Bo Nix passed for 164 yards and ran for 75 yards for Denver (4-3), which dominated statistically. The Broncos outgained New Orleans 389 yards to 271 while sending the Saints (2-5) to their fifth straight defeat.
“It was awesome. The Saints mean a lot to him. He was there for a while and had amazing success,” Nix said, alluding to Payton’s franchise-high 152 regular-season victories with the Saints from 2Payton’s New Orleans teams had just two losses at home by 20 points or more, something the Saints have done twice in the past five days.
“It’s been disappointing,” Allen said. “Injuries play a part of it but we’ve got to find a way to play better.
“We’re making mistakes we shouldn’t be making,” Allen added. “Us as coaches and players alike, we’ve got to figure it out.”