NEW ORLEANS -- The fortunes of the Denver Broncos and New Orleans Saints have changed considerably in little more than a month, making their midseason meeting in the Superdome on Sunday all the more compelling.The defending champion Broncos (6-3) have dropped three of five and fallen out of first place in the AFC West since breaking out to a 4-0 start. The New Orleans Saints (4-4) have won four of five and climbed into second place in the NFC South since starting 0-3.I do not care what our record is. I do not care what their record is, Saints quarterback Drew Brees said. There is a reason that they are defending Super Bowl champs. ... This will be the best team that we have played thus far.The 37-year-old Brees , energized by a thriving, young receiver corps, has New Orleans atop the NFL in passing, averaging 324.6 yards per game. Denver boasts the leagues best pass defense, allowing a mere 183.3 yards per game. Those rankings make this matchup intriguing, but what makes the Saints a credible threat to Denver is the way theyve run the ball lately -- and the fact Denvers run defense ranks among the NFLs worst, at 29th.Last week, New Orleans racked up a whopping 248 yards rushing, with Mark Ingram gaining 158 yards and Tim Hightower 87.For Denvers coaching staff, trying to anticipate how Brees and the Saints offense might choose to attack this week is a tall order.Right now, when you watch them play, from a receivers standpoint, everybodys making plays. They have two tight ends going and the last two weeks the running games been going with two different backs, Broncos coach Gary Kubiak said. When youre getting ready to play people and looking at where the balls going and those types of things, its hard to zero in on anything because theyre so consistent and so unified throughout, because of everybody contributing and knowing whats going on.Some other things to know about the Broncos visit to New Orleans:MILLERS RUSHING: Denvers secondary has been banged-up recently, putting more pressure on Broncos pass rushers to make opposing quarterbacks uncomfortable. Thats where outside linebacker Von Miller comes in. Nine games into the season, Miller is averaging slightly better than a sack per game with 9+. Saints coach Sean Payton said Miller clearly is the best pass rusher in the NFL.He wins with speed. He wins with power. His get-off is outstanding, Payton said. He plays with leverage so he can convert speed and all of a sudden be underneath and pushing you back into the pocket. He plays the run well, hes a fantastic player.AIR TIME: Miller is feeling as much urgency to pressure Brees as any quarterback he has, or will, play against all season. He knows that giving the Saints record-setting QB too much time to throw is a sure recipe for a miserable afternoon. Brees has already passed for more than 300 yards in a game five times this season, and more than 400 yards twice.Drews the best passer in the league right now, Miller said. I mean, hes leading the league in passing yards and its not the first time he has done it, either.LEARNING CURVE: Denver rookie QB Trevor Siemian has hit a rough patch lately, completing fewer than half of his passes in last weeks loss to Oakland. But Denvers struggles on the ground havent helped, either. The Broncos have rushed for fewer than 100 yards in six of seven games, and just 33 yards last week .Were all a little frustrated, Siemian said. Guys are working hard and were not seeing it pay off on Sundays like we want it to, but we all have the right mentality and were going about things the right way.LIMITED LIABILITY: Currently, the Saints rank 30th in yards allowed per game (408.5) and points allowed per game (29.8). Theyre also last in yards passing allowed per game (300). However, the Saints defense has not allowed more than 23 points in any of New Orleans past three games. Two of New Orleans opponents in that stretch, Kansas City and Seattle, each scored defensive touchdowns. The unit is also getting healthier. Top cornerback Delvin Breaux and defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, the clubs top draft choice last spring, returned from injuries last week.FAMILIAR SURROUNDINGS: Denvers defensive backfield includes two players, cornerbacks Lorenzo Doss and Taurean Nixon, from south Louisiana who played college football for Tulane in New Orleans. Kubiak called the pair, two good young players that this organizations counting on in the future.Obviously theyve been a big part of what weve been doing lately because weve had some secondary issues with Aqib (Talib) and Kayvon (Webster) being out, Kubiak noted. So, theyre two good kids who work their tails off, both very bright and just working hard for their opportunity.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFLCollin Sexton Jersey . -- Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Alrdridge were again the go-to duo for the Trail Blazers against the Kings. LeBron James Cavaliers Jersey . With the first unit struggling of late and Amir Johnson - one of the teams iron men - hobbling on an injured right ankle, Patterson knew he could get the nod in a challenging matchup against one of the leagues up and coming players at his position. http://www.cavaliersbasketballpro.info/kyrie-irving-cavaliers-jersey/ . Emery skated the length of the ice and fought an unwilling Holtby during the third period of the Flyers 7-0 loss Friday night in Philadelphia. He was given 29 penalty minutes, including a game misconduct. But Emery did not face even a disciplinary hearing with NHL senior vice president of player safety Brendan Shanahan because rules 46. Matthew Dellavedova Jersey . -- Jimmie Johnson held off a teammate, passed a pair of Hall of Famers, and dominated once more at Dover. Brad Daugherty Jersey . -- Five former Kansas City Chiefs players who were on the team between 1987 and 1993 filed a lawsuit Tuesday claiming the team hid and even lied about the risks of head injuries during that time period when there was no collective bargaining agreement in place in the NFL.Go to: Starters | ReservesHow will Eric Bledsoe, Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns?do in 2016-17?Here are our player scouting reports and analysiss.dddddddddddd ' ' '