The Saints will finish out their season series against the AFC South when they take on the Indianapolis Colts in week eight of the NFL season. New Orleans has some extra days to prepare for the Colts after their Thursday night loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. So far, this season has been filled with ups and downs.

The Saints find themselves in third place in the NFC South after the Atlanta Falcons took down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the room for error is starting to get slimmer as the weeks go on. New Orleans currently sits at 3-4 heading into week eight’s matchup against the Colts and there are still a lot of questions that need to be answered at this point in the season.

Saints Still Dealing with Same Concerns After Thursday Night Loss:

Saints quarterback Derek Carr looks for an open receiver

Saints QB Derek Carr (4) – Gerald Herbert/AP Photo

The Saints’ offense started off slow yet again against the Jaguars. New Orleans found themselves down 17-6 going into the half and the only scoring from the Saints came with two Blake Grupe field goals. Quarterback Derek Carr threw a pick-six in the middle of the third quarter that put the Jaguars up, 24-9.

At that point, you thought that this would be a Jaguars runaway, but the Saints showed some fight in the fourth quarter. Taysom Hill ran it in for a one-yard touchdown to cut into the Jaguars lead, 24-16. The Saints were able to tie it up on their next offensive possession as Carr found wide receiver Michael Thomas for a 17-yard touchdown.

New Orleans’ defense was able to force a stop to allow the offense to have a shot to complete the comeback but the offense went three-and-out on their next drive. The floodgates would then follow as the Jaguars would retake the lead with three minutes left to play. Carr was able to lead the offense down the field but were unable to capitalize in a goal-to-go situation as the Saints lost in heartbreaking fashion.

There was some frustration that was visible on the field, especially between Carr and wide receiver Chris Olave. With the loss to the Jaguars, the Saints have lost back-to-back games to an AFC South foe, as they sit 1-2 in the season series against that division. New Orleans will be hoping to break that streak as they face off against the Colts in week eight.

Know Your Foe: Colts

Michael Pittman Jr. scores a touchdown against the Browns

Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr. (11) – Jeffrey Brown/Getty Images

The Colts come into a week eight matchup against New Orleans with a 3-4 record and holds a record of 2-2 in the AFC South division. Like the Saints, Indianapolis is coming off back-to-back losses to the Jaguars and the Browns. The Colts fell to the Browns in week seven, 39-38, in a surprising high-scoring shootout. Both teams heading into this matchup are in need of a win to stay afloat in their respective divisional race.

The Colts offense shined in week seven against a tough Browns defense as quarterback Gardner Minshew continues to flourish in his role even after rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson is out for the rest of the season. After all the offseason drama, running back Jonathan Taylor is back in the mix. Taylor scored once against the Browns and racked up 75 yards on 18 carries. One of the other bright young stars on this Colts offense is rookie wide receiver Josh Downs. Downs continues to have an impressive stat line every week as he racked up five receptions for 125 yards and a touchdown.

The Colts’ offense was able to compile 456 yards of total offense against the Browns’ defense. On the season, the Colts offense is averaging 24.5 points per game, which ranks them sixth overall in the league.

On the other side of the ball, the Colts’ defense has had their recent struggles giving up 37 points to the Jaguars in week six and 38 to the Browns in week seven. Indianapolis defense ranks at the bottom of the league in points giving up. They rank 30th in the league allowing 27.3 points per game. The Colts also have one of the weaker run defenses in the league, so this may be an opportunity for the Saints offense to find their rhythm and have a balanced attack.

Prediction: Colts 24, Saints 21