They are excellent, and most of pagan temple infantry are shock troops, designed to face with Teutonic heavy infantry. Some of them have lack of armor as always, but some of them are strong-all-round. And like all shock units, they have no shiled and hunt down by bowmen easily.

But as Tristan said, they also have huge lack of morale... I count as a mistake to design Pagan fanatics as coward soldiers. Probably EA thought it gives the game a balance.