How do the Indianapolis Colts compare to their Week 12 opponent, the Detroit Lions, in key, game-defining statistical categories?
Of course, the game of football isn’t played on paper, but at this point in the season, each team’s stats do carry weight, and gives us a good idea of who they are in particular areas.
So, these numbers can give us some insights into who has the advantage on Sunday in a few specific metrics.
This can be especially helpful against an uncommon opponent like the Lions, who the Colts don’t see very often.
In an effort to keep things somewhat simple, I boiled this article down to the need-to-know statistics for this matchup. This includes the run game performance, passing game performance, pressures, turnovers, third down and red zone success, and points.
With help from Team Rankings and ESPN here is how the Colts matchup stat-wise in a few key categories with the Lions:
| IND | DET | |
| Points per game | 21.5 (19th) | 33.6 (1st) |
| Points per game allowed | 22.7 (19th) | 17.7 (5th) |
| Yards per rush | 4.5 (13th) | 4.7 (8th) |
| Yards per rush allowed | 4.4 (19th) | 4.3 (11th) |
| Yards per pass attempt | 7.2 (18th) | 9.2 (1st) |
| Yards per pass attempt allowed | 7.1 (25th) | 6.3 (10th) |
| ESPN pass rush win rate | 39% (21st) | 42% (14th) |
| ESPN pass block win rate | 64% (9th) | 51% (29th) |
| Turnover differential | -1 (19th) | +9 (T3) |
| Third down conversion rate | 36.9% (21st) | 45.1% (6th) |
| Defensive third down conversion rate | 43.1% (23rd) | 30.3% (1st) |
| Red zone success rate | 55.8% (T17) | 68.2% (4th) |
| Defensive red zone success rate | 57.5% (16th) | 42.8% (T3) |