PFF Preview: Colts @ Texans, Week 6

Chuck Pagano takes his 3-2 Indianapolis Colts on the road to face Bill O'Brien's 3-2 Houston Texans, in a key AFC South clash on Thursday night.

In cornerback Vontae Davis and safety Mike Adams, the Colts have two of the leading defensive backs in the league this season. Davis is our fourth-ranked cover corner with a +5.3 grade in coverage, and has allowed just one receptions for every 22.5 snaps in Coverage, second best among qualifying corners. While Adams has been the fourth-best safety in coverage, with a+4.8 coverage grade, having allowed just one reception for every 29.3 cover snaps. Each has two interceptions, which, along with two more from Greg Toler, gives the team six on the season, a total eclipsed by just three teams. With Texans quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing six picks in his last three games, the Colt's secondary will be keen to extend that unfortunate run.

However, while the Colts match up well through the air against Fitzpatrick, they have been vulnerable on the ground, allowing 4.6 yards per carry, bad news for a team that is about to face an increasingly fit and in-form Arian Foster. Despite dealing with injuries and a lack of match preparation, Foster has still forced 21 missed tackles for a 55.7 Elusive Rating, as well as breaking five runs of 15 yards or more for a 31.7 Breakaway Percentage. Five of those missed tackles, and three of the long runs came in Week 5, as Foster averaged 6.8 yards per carry against the previously staunch Baltimore Ravens run defense, giving Foster a +2.3 rushing grade, second best among all running backs that week.

Here are three more notable numbers for each side:

Indianapolis Colts

Bjoern Werner – With two sacks and six total pressures giving him a 20.0 Pass Rushing Productivity in Week 5, Werner had the most productive game of his young career.

Cory Redding  – Redding notched his second sack of the season in Week 5, giving him 12 total pressures and a 7.4 Pass Rushing Productivity for the season, seventh-best among 3-4 defensive ends.

Dwayne Allen – A +1.7 overall grade in Week 5 gave Allen, PFF's second-best tight end as a rookie in 2012 (+26.4), his first notable performance since his return from the hip injury that limited him to just one appearance last season.

Houston Texans

 J.J. Watt – Watt has recorded 35 total pressures through the opening five weeks of the season, 10 more than any other player has registered over that same period.

DeAndre Hopkins – A 109.6 WR Rating, a 4.0 Drop Rate and 2.34 Yards per Route Run have helped Hopkins to a +4.4 grade in the passing game, fifth-best among all receivers.

Brian Cushing – Cushing's 12 stops from 24 tackles give him a 10.3 Run Stop Percentage, seventh-best among qualifying inside linebackers.

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