DeForest Buckner is heating up, making the Colts even more dangerous
Defensive tackle DeForest Buckner has been playing some of his best football in recent weeks, making the Indianapolis Colts dangerous.
When the Indianapolis Colts got off to a slow start this season, a big reason why was that Indy’s stars weren’t playing like stars. Defensively, Pro Bowl defensive tackle, DeForest Buckner, was one of the culprits. Dealing with an elbow injury, Buckner didn’t start the season as dominant as he usually is. His lack of impact was noticeable for the team.
Through Indy’s first four games, Buckner had zero sacks, 12 tackles, and one tackle for a loss. That’s rather unacceptable for a player of Buckner’s caliber, especially not recording a single sack. He’s one of the pillars of the Colts’ defense and is expected to be a catalyst for the defensive line. That wasn’t happening in the first four games. However, Buckner has seemingly turned the corner in the last two weeks.
Over the last two games, both wins for the Colts, Buckner had a combined three sacks, 13 tackles, and two tackles for a loss. Those are the kind of performances that Indianapolis expects from Buckner and also the type of performances that help the Colts win games.
DeForest Buckner is finally contributing to the Colts’ defense
Buckner will need to continue elevating his play moving forward, especially on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans. When Indianapolis played Tennessee in Week 4, Buckner was essentially nonexistent, not registering a single stat despite playing 19 snaps. That’s a big reason why the Colts gave up 24 points and 100 rushing yards in the first half of that game.
That can’t be the case this week if Indianapolis is going to travel to Tennessee and leave with a win. Buckner and the entire defense must be prepared to stop a rested Derrick Henry and the Titans. If Buckner can lead the charge of stopping Henry and getting after Ryan Tannehill, the Colts have a pretty good chance at winning.
A win on Sunday would split the season series with Tennessee and it will also extend Indianapolis’ winning streak to three games. More importantly, it will give Indianapolis sole possession of the top spot in the AFC South.
