NFL Week 8 Sunday Night Football Schedule & Predictions: Green Bay Packers at New Orleans Saints [Poll]
The Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints will play each other on Sunday Night at 8:30 p.m. EST on NBC.
A lot of football fans predicted these two teams could be playing in the NFC Championship game, considering the elite quarterbacks they have.
Both of these teams have won a Super Bowl in recent years. Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees have both won a Super Bowl and a Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award, but the Saints are struggling lately. Luckily for them, they will be playing at home against the Packers this week.
Let's see who has the edge for this Sunday Night Football game:
New Orleans Saints (2-4)
Despite having Super Bowl expectations, the Saints are currently 2-4 after six games of play.
The Saints have yet to even win two consecutive games all season long. The only victories for the Saints this year have come against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- in overtime -- and the Minnesota Vikings, who are 2-5.
Quarterback Drew Brees has 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions, but even he has been making uncharacteristic mistakes this season. Still, it's not panic time yet in New Orleans. The Saints are 2-0 at home this season, and yes, they are playing at home on Sunday night. Head coach Sean Payton hasn't lost a home game since the 2010 season, a truly remarkable accomplishment.
Unfortunately for the Saints, both Mark Ingram and Khiry Robinson will be out for this game, a devastating blow for the rushing attack.
With the Saints defense ranked 28th overall in points against and so many issues at running back, Brees may have to throw the ball 50 times this game. Jimmy Graham, Marques Colston and Brandin Cooks should get a lot of balls thrown their way.
Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan has a very difficult task ahead of him, especially without Jairus Byrd on the field in the secondary.
Green Bay Packers (5-2)
After losing their Week 1 game to the Seattle Seahawks on the road, the Packers have been nearly perfect. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has 18 touchdowns to just one interception this season, including an outstanding 117.3 passer rating. The Packers haven't lost a game in over a month, and are challenging the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles for the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
Similar to the Saints, the Packers have a great offense, great quarterback, but a below-average defense. Running back Eddie Lacy has been reliable this season with nearly 400 yards on the ground and four rushing touchdowns. Even though the Packers defense isn't elite, they have done a great job intercepting the ball. The Packers have 10 interceptions this season, the second-most in the league behind only the New York Giants.
The Packers won't have much to face when it comes to stopping the Saints run game, but they have to at least contain Brees, who is always capable of throwing interceptions and turning the ball over. If the Packers defense can get off the field, they should be able to take care of business.
Schedule, Where to Watch
The Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints will play each other on Sunday Night at 8:30 p.m. EST on NBC. The game will be played at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. You can view a live game stream here.
Predictions
Almost all signs point to a Packers victory; the Packers have three more wins, they're on a four-game win streak and the Saints are flat at 2-4 coming off a loss to the Detroit Lions. But, we're going with the Saints. This Saints squad just doesn't lose at home with head coach Sean Payton.
The crowd noise is among the loudest in the entire league, and the Saints know they can't drop to 2-5 or their season is over.
Saints win 35-31
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