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NASHVILLE – If you think the Tennessee Titans are happy that the Indianapolis Colts didn’t have defensive lineman DeForest Buckner on Sunday, think again.
Buckner and his defensive line colleague Denico Autry were officially kicked out Friday because they are on the COVID-19 reserve list. Linebacker Bobby Okereke with an ankle injury was also ruled out. All three are important parts on a defense that currently ranks among the best in the NFL, not to mention one that was a problem for the Tennessee offense.
“Honestly, you know, we were pissed off,” left guard Rodger Saffold said Friday. “We wanted to be able to play against the full strength of this defense. Of course, there are things that are beyond our control. We hope (Buckner) gets better and comes back. “
Buckner (pictured) and Autry are the only Indianapolis players currently unavailable due to the coronavirus, but their collective absence creates a hole along the defensive front. Autry has already missed a game because of the virus. Buckner landed on the COVID-19 Reserve List Wednesday.
Buckner is a defensive tackle that messes things up on the inside. He has a squad of 16 quarterback hits (the rest of the squad has 32) and is one of two Colts with at least one forced fumble and one recovered fumble. Only one NFL defensive tackle has made more tackles this season.
Autry is a defensive end who spends excessive time in the opposing team’s backfield. He leads the defense with six sacks and seven tackles for a loss. Four of his sacks came in his last three games before he was sidelined by illness.
Also, you take out Okereke, who is third on the team in tackles, and the disruption for that unit only increases. All three played in the Colts 34-17 victory at Nissan Stadium on November 12.
“I imagine they’re going to call the game the same way they did it,” Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel said. “(Buckner) is a talented player, but there are some active guys waiting to step in and play. Lots of moving parts on that defensive line, they have guys who can play on the outside and play on the inside, who have length.
“It will always be a challenge.”
Tyquan Lewis is the most likely candidate to replace Buckner, who the Colts acquired in an off-season trade with the idea that he would be an anchor on that defensive front. So far it has been exactly that.
Lewis has played a role throughout his two-plus seasons in the NFL and has already played more games this season (10) than he has in any of his first two. He started eight games as a rookie in 2018 and two more this season, but in this case, he’ll have some big shoes to fill.
“I think the best way to leverage that is to just do what we’re doing, going through the same process,” Saffold said. “You know, the moment you start to think that a defense is weaker because someone is gone, that’s when you start to mess around. And that’s something we absolutely want to avoid.
“So we will attack with the same game plan.”
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