Broncos deliver win in Sean Payton's return to New Orleans - ESPN

NEW ORLEANS — With the emotions of a return to a city he coached in for 16 years, on a night the New Orleans Saints had set aside to celebrate their all-time quarterback in Drew Brees, Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton knew he would need more than a moment to take it all in.

«I'm glad I was here early, like early early, six hours before the game early,'' Payton said. „Just had plenty of time to grab some coffee.… That part of it, coming back here, was special.''

Payton, now in his second season with the Broncos, returned to the Superdome as an opposing head coach for the first time Thursday night, ventured into the stadium's visitors locker room for the first time and then watched his current team put in an elite defensive performance in a workmanlike 33-10 victory over the Saints.

It moved the Broncos to 4-3, their best record after seven games since the 2016 season, when they were 5-2 after their seventh game.

“It was nice to get the win against his former team, especially for our coach, and the rest of the staff and the guys who played here,'' Broncos tackle Mike McGlinchey said. „Really proud of how we handled it, what we did.''

Payton was the Saints' coach from 2006 until 2021, and Brees was his starting quarterback for his entire tenure. Brees was honored at halftime as the newest member of the Saints' hall of fame and, before the game, ran out of the tunnel to a thunderous roar from a sellout crowd after the Saints' defense had been introduced.

But after all of the pregame swirl gave way to the kickoff, the Broncos simply dispatched the injury-ravaged Saints on all fronts on a short week. The Broncos' defense finished with six sacks and a defensive touchdown and held the Saints to 271 total yards, 92 of those yards