The New Orleans Saints have their second primetime matchup of the season, as they welcome the Denver Broncos to town on "Thursday Night Football." More importantly, they welcome Sean Payton back to town. Drew Brees will also be there to be enshrined in the Saints Hall of Fame. It's a lot going on that day.

Dennis Allen is hoping to stop the Saints' four game losing streak. There's likely a lot of pressure on him internally to win this game because of the opponent and the losing streak. Spencer Rattler is starting his second game, but he'll likely be without weapons Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. This will make it even more challenging for the offense.

Defensively they need a bounce back too. They allowed 51 points to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week. This week is all about redemption from last week. The Broncos offense isn't as dangerous as Tampa Bay, but when 50 points were scored on you a week ago, you shouldn't underestimate anyone.

Here are 5 matchups that are critical in the Saints' primetime matchup:

Sean Payton vs. Dennis Allen

There likely isn't any bad blood between Allen and Payton, but it's safe to say each man really wants to beat the other. This is no regular game. Defeating Payton would feel like vindication to some in the building that Allen was the right choice. It is October, and winning this game may put the ghost of Sean Payton's legacy behind him. For Payton, it's a simple motivation. He wants to beat his former team.

Courtland Sutton vs. Marshon Lattimore

Marshon Lattimore has to be getting bored out there. He's barely being targeted this year. Maybe that'll change this week if Denver plays Sutton on Lattimore's side frequently. Sutton leads the team in targets by a landslide. He's one of the more underrated receivers in the league and can be a tough day for many cornerbacks.

Alvin Kamara vs. Justin Strnad

Kamara's hot start to the year has slowed down significantly over the last two weeks. Running is already the heartbeat of the offense. It's even more important this week due to injuries to Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. The running game needs to get going in this matchup to help the offense stay steady. Strnad stepped into the starting role after Alex Singleton's injury and has been impressive. He's recorded a few tackles for a loss and has impressed Coach Payton.

Juwan Johnson vs. Brandon Jones

Last week's game opened up with a 27 yard pass from Spencer Rattler to Juwan Johnson. Rattler's usage of the tight ends showed some potential for more production from the unit. Injuries at wide receiver demand more production from the tight ends room. Denver is led by their cornerback trio. Attacking the safeties up the seams with tight ends could be a good source of offense for New Orleans and Johnson should lead the charge.

Malcolm Roach vs. Nick Saldiveri

Sean Payton isn't the only former Saint coming back to New Orleans. Actually, there's several, but let's focus on Payton and Malcolm Roach for now. Roach will be motivated, and he's going against the weakest unit on the Saints currently. Injuries have decimated interior offensive line. There's a chance Lucas Patrick returns this week, but if not Roach will get the opportunity to face Saldiveri on many snaps.

This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 5 matchups that will decide Saints vs. Broncos