The New Orleans Saints have their eyes set on the Indianapolis Colts this upcoming Sunday and while the season is heading into the halfway point, this game is a must-win. New Orleans is coming off of back-to-back losses against the Houston Texans and the Jacksonville Jaguars in last week's Thursday Night Football contest.
They're 3-4 on the year and are currently third in the NFC South as they're behind the Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Ahead of the key game for the Saints, we'll be making our predictions for this Week 8 contest.
The Colts themselves are also heading into the game after losing two straight as they lost rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson for the season. Backup Gardner Minshew has filled in looking to provide the Colts with somewhat of a spark, but with the Saints in their way, they're in danger of dropping three in a row.
With all that being said, let's move on to our Saints Week 8 predictions as they'll travel to take on the Colts:
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Quarterback Derek Carr back on track, will have best game of the season
It's safe t0 say that quarterback Derek Carr has been a disappointing storyline for the Saints so far. He's thrown for 1,600 passing yards, six touchdowns, and four interceptions as the offense has been a slog more times than not.
It could be growing pains after being with the Las Vegas Raiders organization for his whole career. While Carr has never been in the upper echelon of top-tier quarterbacks, he has sown in the past that he can come up big and be a quarterback to rely on. Entering the team with weapons like Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave, Michael Thomas, and others, it was almost guaranteed that the Saints would be at the top of the division early. So far, it hasn't been like that.
However, his season turns around this Sunday as he puts up his best game of his young Saints tenure as fans will start to see how a Carr-led offense will look like at its best. The Saints offense needs some juice and positivity, especially after the news of Olave being arrested for reckless driving. Especially with tight end Juwan Johnson coming back from a calf strain, the offense could have a very potent performance Sunday led by Carr.
Alvin Kamara will have season-best performance
Another season-best performance will come from the Saints running back Alvin Kamara, who since coming back from the three-game suspension, has been dynamite for the team. It looks like he hadn't lost a step or seem rusty because of the long wait until an actual game, but it's building up for a great day against the Colts.
Indianapolis ranks in the bottom-half of run defense as they've averaged around 118 rushing yards per game and with the dynamic skills Kamara has through the air and ground, he's going to feast on this team. There is a huge possibility that Carr could lean on Kamara to make plays on check-down passes when he gets pressured or no one is open. This especially happened last game when the running back caught 12 passes for 91 yards on 14 targets.
However, expect the receiving number to go a bit down as he'll have a successful performance through the ground game. Still expect a presence through the air, but not the ridiculous amount of 14 targets. If you're a fantasy football owner of Kamara, you probably took a chance on him in the later rounds. Congratulations, it's paid off and down the line, he could be a league winner. If you passed up on him, trade for him!
Saints defense will frustrate Minshew
Even though the Colts offense is without their exciting rookie Richardson, Minshew hasn't been that bad as against a tough defense in the Cleveland Browns last weekend, he threw for over 300 yards and two touchdowns. Expect him to come back down to Earth and set into reality once he faces the Saints.
The Saints defense has also been in a rut these past two games as it's been the first time they've allowed 20 or more points in a game since Week 10 and 11 in 2022 according to the Canal Street Chronicles. Expect that streak to be buried as the Colts won't score more than 20 unless there's a garbage time score late in the game when the contest is out of hand.
You would think that head coach Dennis Allen, the defense, and everybody else is hungry and is wanting to show the league that they shouldn't forget about them. The defense led by a talented secondary of Marshon Lattimore and Alontae Taylor should have a solid day against Colts receivers Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs. Can't forget that the Saints defense is one of the league's best units and should get back on track against the Colts.
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