NFL Week 8 Game Recap: New Orleans Saints 38, Indianapolis Colts 27

The New Orleans Saints moved back to .500 by beating the Indianapolis Colts 38-10 in Week 8. The Colts drop to 3-5 with the loss.

The Colts opened the scoring on a 10-yard pass from Gardner Minshew to Michael Pittman Jr., but New Orleans answered back, with Derek Carr and Alvin Kamara connecting from 18 yards out.

A 20-yard Matt Gay field goal gave the Colts a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter before Zack Moss extended the lead on a one-yard run after a Derek Carr fumble.

Taysom Hill replied with a 20-yard rushing touchdown to pull the Saints back within a field goal before a 58-yard strike from Carr to Rashid Shaheed put the Saints in front 21-20 at the half, with a 42-yard field goal by Gay, keeping the Colts within a point.

Alvin Kamara extended the Saints' lead on a 16-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter, running right up the middle of the Colts defense. A second rushing touchdown from Hill early in the fourth quarter put the Saints up by 15.

A 33-yard pass from Minshew to Andrew Ogletree brought the Colts back within one score, but a Blake Grupe 27-yard field goal finished the game late in the fourth quarter.

Offensive spotlight: Gardner Minshew went 23-for-41 for 213 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but an interception when the Colts were in scoring range in the third quarter proved costly.

The Saints were able to score on explosive plays. Both of Kamara’s scores came from more than 15 yards out, Hill scored from the 20-yard line and Shaheed found the end zone from 58 yards out.

Derek Carr went 19-for-27 for 310 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the day.

Shaheed proved to be a big-play threat again, with his long touchdown reception and another pair of long grabs giving him 153 yards on just three targets.

Defensive spotlight: Paulson Adebo was a force in the Saints defensive backfield, finishing the game with an interception and a pair of pass breakups. Linebacker Demario Davis was all over the field, registering 12 tackles and a pass breakup.

DeForest Buckner made a big play for the Colts in the first half, forcing a fumble on a sack. Linebacker Zaire Franklin was active throughout the game, too, finishing with 14 tackles and a pass breakup.

Rookie spotlight: Wide receiver Josh Downs saw plenty of action again, turning nine targets into seven receptions for 72 yards, while offensive tackle Blake Freeland had his struggles both as a run-blocker and in pass protection.

For the Saints, both safety Jordan Howden and defensive lineman Bryan Bresee had solid games, seeing significant action in the win.

Box Score

Passing

Rushing

Receiving