Indianapolis Colts vs Vikings key stats comparison: Who has the advantage?

Who has the advantage in these key statistical categories heading into Sunday’s game–the Colts or the Vikings? Let’s take a look.

How do the Indianapolis Colts compare to the Minnesota Vikings in key, game-defining statistical categories?

Now, of course, the game is not played on paper but eight weeks into the 2024 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.

While there is a lot of information out there, I boiled 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 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 Vikings:

IND MIN
Points per game 21.9 (19th) 26.9 (7th)
Points per game allowed 21.5 (13th) 19.6 (9th)
Yards per rush 4.7 (10th) 4.2 (21st)
Yards per rush allowed 4.5 (14th) 3.9 (3rd)
Yards per pass attempt 7.0 (20th) 8.6 (4th)
Yards per pass attempt allowed 7.1 (24th) 6.4 (10th)
Pressure rate on QB 22.7% (17th) 30.2% (1st)
Pressure rate allowed on QB 21.6% (16th) 29.0% (31st)
Turnover differential +1 (T13) +5 (T6)
Third down conversion rate 37.6% (20th) 39.4% (13th)
Defensive third down conversion rate 42.9% (24th) 32.9% (T8)
Red zone success rate 53.8% (T19) 65.0% (8th)
Defensive red zone success rate 57.1% (15th) 61.9% (24th)