Even on a day when the Indianapolis Colts effectively wrapped up the AFC South, the penetrating questions came.</p><p>Even as they moved to 8-0 with their 20-17 victory over the pesky Houston Texans, joining the New Orleans Saints as one of only two unbeatens in the NFL in 2009, the Colts could be found almost apologizing for their play.</p><p>Such are the expectations that come with carving out a reputation as one of the league's most prolific offenses, one led by perhaps the greatest signal-caller of all-time, one Peyton Manning.</p><p>The reporters on hand, and a healthy portion of fans, wanted to know exactly what was wrong with an Indianapolis attack that has scored just 38 points in the first two contests of a three-game homestand, including a mere three touchdowns and - gasp! - one touchdown pass from Manning.</p><p>They wanted to know about the team's sudden red-zone difficulties, which have necessitated six Matt Stover field goals over the past two games, including a pair against the Texans. The Colts' two touchdown drives on Sunday came roughly 44 minutes apart.</p><p>"I think it's execution," said tight end Dallas Clark, who found himself trying to explain on a day when he hauled in a whopping 14 passes for 119 yards. "We had some run plays, we had some passes, we called [a] timeout where we were kind of mixed up on assignments. Just everything. When you come out and put points on the first couple drives and kind of hit that lull...we did last week against San Francisco. We just can't keep doing that."</p><p>Indianapolis has been able to win close games despite a case of red-zone inefficiency over the past two weeks thanks in large part to a defense that continues to operate well, even in the shadow of the team's famed offensive attack.</p><p>The Colts, who had suffered through a horrible week in which they had lost safety Bob Sanders (elbow), linebacker Tyjuan Hagler (biceps) and cornerback Marlin Jackson (knee) for the season, forced three turnovers from the emerging Houston offense, held Texans running backs Ryan Moats and Steve Slaton to a combined 55 yards on 22 carries, and limited the ability of Houston's talented receivers to make big plays down the field.</p><p>Though few seem to be noticing, Indy will enter a much-anticipated Week 10 showdown with the Patriots boasting the NFL's eighth-ranked defense (303.4 yards per game) and having surrendered the fewest points (13.5 per game), touchdowns (10), and touchdown passes (4) in the league. Indianapolis is one of just six teams that ranks in the top half of the league against both the pass and run.</p><p>"Our defense is playing tough, getting us great field position," said Clark. "We have to take advantage of that. I think that is kind of the disappointment. We had the ball on the 40 [yard line] probably two times [against Houston] and just weren't able to get points and that is on us. Those are things we need to improve on."</p><p>The unspoken locker room sentiment, of course, is that the hated Patriots are not going to be nearly as forgiving of the Colts' sins on either side of the ball as the 49ers and Texans were. Given the talent New England possesses offensively, Indy's total of 38 points in its last two games might not be enough, even if Manning and company match the figure in one game.</p><p>"Obviously we would like to score more than twenty points," said Manning. "We would like to not kick field goals. Those are obviously our goals.</p><p>"[We] would like to be a little better on third-down and be able to stay on the field and obviously be able to finish drives. That is what you are always looking for; to score enough to win, but we obviously had to have some help from our defense [against the Texans]. Obviously we want to do our part better and score more points."