Week 16 NFC South predictions: Saints take over first place

The Buccaneers and Saints attempt to get back above .500, the Falcons aim to keep their slim playoff hopes alive, and the Panthers try for a second consecutive win. 

Here are our predictions for Week 16 in the NFC South.

New Orleans Saints (7-7) at Los Angeles Rams (7-7): Both teams are trending in the right direction heading into the kickoff to Week 16. The Rams enter Thursday night's game winners of four of their last five while the Saints have won two in a row and outscored their opponents 80-24 over the last 11 quarters after falling into an early 21-0 hole against the Lions in Week 14. 

Rams running back Kyren Williams has been outstanding during Los Angeles' recent hot stretch. After the team's 28-20 win over the Commanders in Week 15, Rams head coach Sean McVay expressed frustration with himself for not feeding Williams the ball in a goal-to-go situation on the opening drive that ended with a field goal.

"The main thing that I was really pissed off about myself was the first-down call, especially after running back Kyren Williams had run the ball so impressively during the drive," said McVay.

L.A.'s ability to run against the Saints defense, which has struggled at times this season to stop the run, will be a major factor.

New Orleans had one of its best games defending the run this season in Week 15 against the Giants, holding them to 60 rushing yards, their second-lowest total of the year.

The game might come down to which quarterback has the most success. While few would pick Saints quarterback Derek Carr over Matthew Stafford in a vacuum, New Orleans has a much better secondary that will limit Stafford enough for the Saints to pull off the upset.

PREDICTION: Saints, 23-20

Indianapolis Colts (8-6) at Atlanta Falcons (6-8): The Colts run defense will be tested against the Falcons, which should lean on their running game to help backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke as he takes over (for the second time) for Desmond Ridder. That would also help prevent costly interceptions against a Colts defense that is tied for the third-most interceptions in the league (15). However, Atlanta's rushing attack can only get it so far. 

Indianapolis has improved drastically on offense in head coach Shane Steichen's first year on the job, and the Falcons must throw the ball efficiently to keep pace. As good as Atlanta's defense has been, it's also had multiple lapses that have led to late-game collapses.   

The Falcons are 1-7 when their opponent scores more than 20 points while the Colts average 24.6 points per game and have scored at least 20 points in 12 of their 14 games. 

PREDICTION: Colts, 24-17

Green Bay Packers (6-8) at Carolina Panthers (2-12): It's a shame that the Panthers have been so bad this season because their defense has played exceptionally well. Since the team's bye in Week 7, Carolina has allowed an average of 253.8 yards per game. However, the offense has been dreadful during that span, averaging 11.8 points per game compared to 18.7 points during Weeks 1-6.

Packers quarterback Jordan Love has hit his stride of late, going 128-of-186 (68.8 percent) for 1,359 yards, 11 touchdowns and one interception since Week 11. Carolina's defense presents an excellent challenge, but as has been the case the majority of the season, it will be overshadowed by the offense's shortcomings.

PREDICTION: Packers, 19-13

Jacksonville Jaguars (8-6) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-7): The Jags and Bucs are near mirror images of each other. Both teams struggle to run the ball and can be exploited in the secondary. Depending on Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence's status, Tampa might have an edge at quarterback. Lawrence is in the concussion protocol after suffering the injury against Baltimore while Baker Mayfield is coming off a career day against the Packers. 

However, even if Lawrence is unable to play, in the year of the backup quarterback, C.J. Beathard is capable of pulling off the win. Jags edge-rusher Josh Allen has 13.5 sacks this season and could throw off the timing of Mayfield's pass attempts to wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.

PREDICTION: Jaguars, 27-24