For the second time this season already, the Indianapolis Colts will face the Houston Texans, this time on the road.
Although we are roughly at the halfway point in the NFL season, which means there is still a good chunk left in the season, this Week 8 matchup comes with major AFC South playoff implications.
Of course, the game is not played on paper but seven games into the season, we are beyond the small sample size portion of the year, and where teams rank statistically can tell us who they are in certain areas.
That information can then give us insights into where the matchup advantage could lie for each team.
With so much data and information out there nowadays, I did my best to boil this article down to the need to know statistics for this matchup that do still carry a lot of weight.
This includes the run game performance, passing game performance, pressures, turnovers, third down and red zone success, and of course, points.
With help from Team Rankings and Pro Football Reference, here is how the Colts matchup stat-wise in a few key categories with the Dolphins:
| IND | HOU | |
| Points per game | 22.1 (18th) | 23.6 (14th) |
| Points per game allowed | 21.3 (12th) | 22.7 (17th) |
| Yards per rush | 4.5 (13th) | 4.5 (15th) |
| Yards per rush allowed | 4.6 (21st) | 4.5 (15th) |
| Yards per pass attempt | 7.3 (14th) | 7.2 (15th) |
| Yards per pass attempt allowed | 7.1 (24th) | 5.5 (2nd) |
| Pressure rate on QB | 21.9% (16th) | 26.2% (11th) |
| Pressure rate allowed | 19.7% (14th) | 28.2% (29th) |
| Turnover differential | +2 (T10) | +3 (T8) |
| Third down conversion rate | 40.9% (11th) | 40.0% (14th) |
| Defensive third down conversion rate | 44.5% (25th) | 34.8% (13th) |
| Red zone success rate | 54.1% (17th) | 70.0% (4th) |
| Defensive red zone success rate | 63.6% (25th) | 72.2% (30th) |