The Denver Broncos lead the New Orleans Saints 16-3 at halftime behind a strong ground game led by Javonte Williams in Sean Payton’s return home. How did Denver jump out to their early lead?

Denver Broncos lead New Orleans Saints at halftime

Going into the break, the Denver Broncos are leading the New Orleans Saints after they got off to a faster start than they have in the last handful of weeks. Leading 16-3, the Broncos offense has controlled the time of possession in this game, and the run game has gotten off to a strong start, led by Javonte Williams and Bo Nix on the ground.

On the ground, Williams has eight carries for 59 yards and a rushing touchdown. His burst and vision have been impressive this evening, as he’s run through various tackles and picked up several first downs to keep drives alive. He’s also caught three passes for 23 yards out of the backfield, as Denver has 242 total net yards of offense in the first half alone.

Bo Nix is 13-of-21 passing for 134 yards with 41 rushing yards on the ground as well. The biggest issue for Nix tonight has been footwork, where he’s missed several receivers in the first half. This will be something to monitor in the second half, especially with the Saints dialing up a little more pressure and trailing by two scores.

Time of possession-wise, the Broncos lead that department 19:14 to the Saints 10:46.

Denver’s defense has taken advantage of getting off the field on third down and has forced a turnover that led to points for the Broncos offense. In the first half, the Broncos defense held the Saints’ offense to 2-of-7 on third down, a drastic difference compared to last week’s game against the Chargers.

Cody Barton created the only turnover of the game on a linebacker blitz, strip-sacking Saints rookie Spencer Rattler. Denver’s limited explosive plays from the Saints early on outside of 32-yard play action pass, holding them to 130 total net yards of offense in the first half.

The second half will kick off here shortly.