Broncos matchup with Saints is perfect opportunity to unleash rookie RB

To say the Denver Broncos are in a "must-win" situation on Thursday night against the New Orleans Saints would be slightly disingenuous, but getting to 4-3 after dropping a Week 6 matchup at home against the Los Angeles Chargers would feel astronomically better than dropping a second-straight game and sitting at 3-4.

The Broncos laid an egg for nearly three quarters offensively against the Chargers, and the defense couldn't get off the field on third downs. The one area this Denver Broncos team that could improve immediately and give this team a really good chance of winning on the road against the New Orleans Saints is a successful rushing attack offensively.

The ability to get ahead of the chains on early downs and wear down the Saints' defense with the ground game will be critical to the Broncos' offensive success, and the Saints have been susceptible in this area so far in 2024.

Broncos need to unleash rookie RB Audric Estimé in Week 7 vs. Saints

The Saints have given up 139 or more rushing yards in three of the last four games. The Broncos have run for over 100 yards as a team in four consecutive games. There is not a lot of film out there on rookie running back Audric Estimé, who came back off of injured reserve in Week 6 against the Chargers and got a couple of carries including an 11-yard run on one of the team's touchdown drives late.

Sean Payton said after the team's loss to the Chargers that he wants to see more of Estimé and there's no reason for him to wait. Estimé is a bruising back who excels at creating yardage after contact, and the freshness of his legs in this game against the Saints could be a major difference maker when you consider the fact that the Saints have been giving up a lot of yardage on the ground.

The Saints missed 16 tackles in their blowout loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and with a couple of backup offensive linemen in there for Denver, the running game will be everyone's best friend.

It's been a small sample at this point, but Estimé has averaged almost seven yards per carry so far this season and offers at least the potential for a spark to the Denver offensive attack when you consider the struggles we've seen from Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin at times.

Both Williams and McLaughlin have had moments this year, but it hasn't been anything consistent. And with Williams struggling against the Chargers badly -- a fumble resulting in 7 points, a dropped screen pass for a big gain, a missed blocking assignment on the two-point conversion -- it wouldn't be shocking to see the Broncos make a bit of a change in the pecking order and see if Estimé can't be a big spark.

The Saints have been struggling to defend the run. There's not a lot of film out there on Estimé and the Broncos haven't been able to heavily utilize him yet this season. This matchup vs. New Orleans is really the ideal time to feature him in a big way.