Essang Bassey tried to lend a hand to his fellow Demon Deacon.

The Broncos’ reserve cornerback — an undrafted rookie out of Wake Forest just like spot-starting quarterback Kendall Hinton — had one of the few positive moments in the Broncos’ 31-3 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

With the Saints leading 17-0 in the third quarter, Bassey picked off his first NFL pass and returned it into New Orleans territory. The Broncos’ only points came four plays after New Orleans’ lone turnover. Most of the credit, Bassey said, went to veteran corner A.J. Bouye, who shadowed Saints receiver Michael Thomas in zone coverage and deflected Taysom Hill’s pass into the air, making for an easy catch.

“He made a great play on the ball, and I just happened to be in the right spot at the right time,” Bassey said. “Tips and overthrows is the best way to make a play as a DB. I just took advantage of the great play A.J. made and did what I could with it after I got it.”

Unfortunately for Bassey and the Broncos’ defense, that was all the help they could offer their limited offense with New Orleans heavily committed to the run game. The Saints rushed for four touchdowns — two from Hill in the first half and a pair from Latavius Murray after halftime — and 229 yards. Murray finished as the leading rusher with 124 yards on 19 carries.

“They executed what they wanted to do. They ran the ball on us,” safety Kareem Jackson said. “Early on, I think we came out, we got some stops. Under the circumstances, they obviously had a ton of opportunities to kind of get going.”

Hill passed just 16 times, completing nine attempts for 78 yards with no touchdowns and Bassey’s interception. Coach Sean Payton admitted the game plan got more conservative when the Saints realized how limited the Broncos’ offense would be.

“We were going to go into a game and call it much differently than we normally would based on the opponent we were playing, what happened and what changed with the opponent,” Payton said. “I thought we did that. I thought those guys up front did a good job and certainly the runners as well. I thought we blocked well on the perimeter.”

Things don’t get any easier for Denver’s defense. A trip to Kansas City to face Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill and the explosive Chiefs’ offense awaits, and there seems to be little sense in worrying about what happened Sunday.

“When I leave the locker room, I’m definitely forgetting about this one,” Jackson said. “I think we’ve got a great group of guys that can definitely put this one behind them.”

While the Broncos are hoping Hinton can return to practice as a wide receiver ahead of next week’s game, Bassey is going to try and make plays to help whoever is leading the offense.

“Every day, every practice, every game, I’m just trying to get better. I feel like I have been since I first stepped into the lineup and since I first started playing,” Bassey said. “I was able to make a play today. Hopefully, I can make more in the future.”