NFL Week 8 Predictions: Why the Indianapolis Colts Will Get Their First Win

If Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are A-Changin" is ever appropriate to quote, this NFL season is one of these instances. 

This season features the Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers as legitimate contenders once again. Can you say 1999? No one saw that coming.

This season has also seen one of the most prolific teams of the past decade, the Indianapolis Colts, suffer an epic demise. The Colts are a miserable 0-7 and coming off a 62-7 whooping from the New Orleans Saints. It's sad to say, but for the Colts, the times have already changed.

Everyone always knew that future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning was immensely important to the Colts' success of the past decade.

Manning, who had never missed a game in his career before this season's neck injury, has passed for over 54,000 yards and 399 touchdowns throughout his NFL career. His worst statistical season was his rookie year, when he had a "measly" 3,739 yards and 28 passing touchdowns. 

No doubt, Manning's absence has hurt the Colts, but many other factors are adding to their misery.

Their offensive line is aging and overwhelmed by many defenses. Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark are both 32, and no running back has been able to emerge and/or stay healthy in Indianapolis.

In addition, the Colts' once-powerful defense now features aging stars (Dwight Freeney, Robert Mathis) along with some completely overwhelmed young players. Their secondary is among the worst in the league.

For the Colts, this season is the perfect storm.

So why I am saying that the Colts will win in Week 8, away, versus their division rivals, the Tennessee Titans?

To start, the Titans will shoot themselves in the foot. They have increasingly lost faith in running back Chris Johnson, who is having one of the worst seasons relative to a career ever.

By putting the ball in Matt Hasselbeck's hands and allowing him to drop back and try to make pass after pass to their mediocre receiving squad, the Titans will make themselves vulnerable. The one strong-suit on the Colts team right now is their defensive line, and Freeney and Mathis will have a field day against a weak Titans offensive line and a relatively immobile quarterback.

We saw the damage that Freeney and Mathis can do when the Colts played (and nearly beat) the Pittsburgh Steelers a few weeks back.

Offensively, quarterback Curtis Painter has not looked terrible this season. Albeit, that is no great compliment, yet Painter was starting to look very comfortable before the miserable showing that was last week's Sunday Night Football matchup.

Since the Titans are in no way comparable to the Saints in their offensive attack, Painter will not have to play from behind, and therefore can more easily maintain his composure.

Finally, any statistical or logical reason aside, the Colts will win this week because they have to. They have to for their pride. It doesn't matter who is playing quarterback or how old their team is, no professional football can let themselves get beat up like the Colts did last week and not answer back.

The Colts are far from good, but they will not be 0-8 by tomorrow night. They are better than that. Indianapolis will be celebrating tomorrow night, for their football team will have won their first game without Peyton Manning.

Cheers to a new era, and cheers to being 1-7. It could be worse...