Saints 2023 Week 8 Preview

Jason Watson Jr • October 27, 2023

New Orleans visits Indianapolis Desperate for a Victory


The Saints are sitting in no-man’s-land at a dismal 3-4 record. After suffering a 31-24 loss at home in week seven versus the Jaguars, New Orleans will head back on the road as a matchup with Indianapolis approaches. The Colts share the same .429 winning percentage as the Saints and are coming off a 39-38 shootout loss against the Cleveland Browns.


The Matchup:

Derek Carr and the Saints’ offense continue to shoot themselves in the foot with miscommunication, mental mistakes, penalties, turnovers, and lack of effort on that side of the ball. While the defense has been the team's saving grace this season, allowing Jacksonville to put up 31 did not help that case at all. New Orleans will have their hands full in attempting to keep up with an Indy squad that is the only team in the NFL this season to score 20+ in every game. Backup quarterback Gardner Minshew has been slinging it around this season with the Anthony Richardson injuries. He has maintained consistency and, at the very least, keeping the Colts competitive in close games. The game will be aired live on FOX from Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday, October 29th, at noon CST.


Series History:

All-time, the Saints lead the Colts with a record of 9-5. The Saints have won the previous four contests since 2010, when New Orleans bested Peyton Manning and Indianapolis 31-17 in Super Bowl XLIV. With Sean Payton now in Denver and Drew Brees retired, it is time for more history forging between the two sides. New Orleans dominated in the most recent game, winning at home 34-7 in 2019.


Team Rankings Comparison:

Rank (Week 7) Saints Colts
Record 3-4 (3rd NFC South) 3-4 (3rd AFC South)
Scoring Avg. 19.0 (21) 25.4 (6)
Opp. Scoring Avg. 18.1 (7) 27.3 (30)
Total Off. 326.0 (17) 361.1 (10)
Rushing Off. 98.1 (22) 124.0 (9)
Passing Off. 227.9 (12) 237.1 (10)
Total Def. 285.7 (4) 351.3 (22)
Rushing Def. 98.7 (12) 118.7 (21)
Passing Def. 187.0 (4) 232.6 (19)
Turnover Margin +3 (11) -2 (20)
Penalties 46 (6) 48 (3)
Penalty Yards 440 (1) 356 (15)


Current Injury Report:


Saints-

Juwan Johnson, TE, Probable, Calf

Demario Davis, OLB, Probable, Knee

Ryan Ramczyk, T, Probable, Concussion

Landon Young, T, Questionable, Hip

James Hurst, G, Questionable, Ankle

Tyrann Mathieu, FS, Questionable, Foot

Marcus Maye, FS, Questionable, Hamstring

Taysom Hill, QB, Questionable, Chest

Alontae Taylor, CB, Questionable, Hip




Colts-

Julius Brents, CB, Doubtful, Quad

Kylen Granson, TE, Doubtful, Concussion

Zack Moss, RB, Questionable, Elbow/Heel

Braden Smith, T, Questionable, Hip/Wrist

Eric Johnson, DT, Questionable, Ankle



Final Thoughts/Prediction:

New Orleans needs to get rolling on what ought to be a very winnable four-game stretch starting in Indy. If they want any chance to salvage their season and maintain play for the NFC South divisional title, the winning culture has to be developed now. Although head coach Dennis Allen has reiterated to the media that no coaching or play-calling changes are currently happening, the leading veterans on the team understand change has to happen on the field in terms of playing efficient football. Do the Saints have what it takes to keep up with a quick-paced Colts offense? I don’t believe so. However, I think a stingy New Orleans defense will bounce back in a big way and hold Indianapolis under 20 for the first time this season. I’ll take the Saints to squeak out a 23-17 victory.


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NOLA Gold battles hard in D.C., falls to Old Glory 27-14

By Tina Howell • May 14, 2025
NOLA Gold showed flashes of dominance and grit in an away physical clash against Old Glory DC, but ultimately fell short, 27-14. Despite early leads and intense defensive phases, the Gold couldn’t hold off a determined Old Glory side that surged in the second half to secure the win. The match began with Old Glory DC striking first via a penalty to go up 3-0. But NOLA Gold responded quickly and decisively, earning a penalty try after sustained pressure deep in the opposition’s territory. The automatic conversion pushed the Gold ahead 7-3. The Gold didn’t let up, Julian Roberts powered through for a well-earned try, and Luke Carty added the extras to give NOLA a promising 14-3 advantage midway through the first half. Old Glory closed the gap just before the break with a try of their own, cutting NOLA’s lead to 14-8 heading into halftime. Momentum shifted after the break. Old Glory struck early in the second half and regained the lead. Two additional tries from the home side widened the gap to 27-14, putting pressure on the Gold to respond late. In the dying minutes, Jonah Mau’u appeared to breathe life into a comeback with a brilliant finish, but after a TMO review, the try was disallowed. The final whistle blew, and NOLA Gold could not overcome the deficit. Though the result didn’t go their way, NOLA Gold once again showcased sparks of attacking potential and defensive resolve. With the team continuing to gel and push for consistency, the focus now turns to the next challenge. NOLA Gold returns home for a highly anticipated match against the Utah Warriors on May 24th, at 6:00 p.m. CT at The Gold Mine.

Lions in Jeopardy after Thursday's Losses

By Brendon Smith • May 9, 2025
After two rocky games Thursday, SLU is backed into must-win situations if they want to take the Southland Conference and make the NCAA Tournament. Although Lions Baseball can still share the conference with UTRGV by earning 2 more wins or having McNeese lose 2 more times, all this accomplishes is the regular season title and the number one seed. Southeastern would still need to battle through the tournament and almost certainly win the whole thing to make the NCAA playoffs. As much as Southland has advocated for itself to be a two-bid conference, you can’t leave things open for chance, especially after Lamar was excluded from the tournament last year, even after an incredible 44-15 season. Even though the game was non-televised the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee almost certainly saw the result of the 13-0 loss for SLU, and even with two close losses with ranked Southern Miss, a 2-1 series win against UTRGV and only one lost conference series, the committee will throw that all out of the window if they believe SLU doesn’t deserve the bid over other teams. While Baseball is backed into a corner so is softball as after a close game that ended 2-1, SLU needs to win both consecutive games to win the series and clinch a spot in the NCAA Tournament. McNeese has had SLU’s number all year as even though the Lady Lions took the first game in a softball double header against the Cowgirls April 4, McNeese still took the series outscoring Southeastern 12 to 8 in the last two games. While like in baseball SLU can certainly trust in the good faith of the selection committee, it is best to take things into your own hands and get to the post season on your own efforts. Southeastern will play Nicholls in baseball again Saturday in a doubleheader starting at 1 PM, while softball will play McNeese for the 2nd game of the Southland Conference Championship at 6 PM today.
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