NFC South Week 8 predictions: Panthers get first win of season in battle of top 2023 draft picks

The Colts represent a golden opportunity for the Saints offense to get on track. They allow 27.3 points per game, 30th in the league, including 76 over their past two games combined. New Orleans could be set up with some short fields on Sunday thanks to its opportunistic defense.

The Saints have 12 takeaways, tied for fifth most in the league, and the Colts have 12 turnovers, also tied for fifth most. Indianapolis quarterback Gardner Minshew has been impressive in relief of injured rookie Anthony Richardson but struggled in two previous starts against New Orleans, including last season in Week 17 with the Eagles. He is 0-2 and only led his teams to 16 points, going 32-of-61 () for 437 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions and taking eight sacks.

PREDICTION: Saints, 31-17

Atlanta Falcons (4-3) at Tennessee Titans (2-4) | 1 p.m. ET

Tennessee will have more ammunition to become a seller at the trade deadline after Week 8. The Falcons are this year's Vikings, a not-very-good team that will probably sneak into the playoffs only to lose in the first round. Despite being 4-3, the Falcons rank 24th in FTN Fantasy's Defense-adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA), performing 15.4 percent worse than a league-average team through Week 7. Sometimes, football doesn't make sense. Should Atlanta be 5-3 at the midway point of the season? Absolutely not. But the Falcons will be, taking advantage of their opportunity against the only team with a worse quarterback situation than their own. 

PREDICTION: Falcons, 23-9

Houston Texans (3-3) at Carolina Panthers (0-6) | 1 p.m. ET

The top two picks of the 2023 NFL Draft meet for the first time with both the Texans and Panthers coming off byes. C.J. Stroud got the lead on Bryce Young early. Still, the No. 1 overall pick has taken strides to close the gap in recent weeks thanks in part to a blossoming connection with veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen, and he may look even better the remainder of the season.

During the team's bye week, head coach Frank Reich relinquished play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Thomas Brown. One thing Brown could do to help Young is lean on Carolina's run game. This season, the Panthers rank 26th in rush attempts and first in pass attempts. Chuba Hubbard has the highest success rate (64.8 percent) among running backs with at least 50 rush attempts this season and could make plays against a Texans rush defense that ranks in the bottom half of the league.

The Panthers eventually have to win a game and Week 8 feels like the right time for Young to get his first NFL victory. 

PREDICTION: Panthers, 24-21