Colts defensive gem DeForest Buckner sidelined for Week 3 contest against Bears

Colts defensive gem DeForest Buckner sidelined for Week 3 contest against Bears originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

The Bears won’t have to face one of the Colts‘ best players when they travel to Indianapolis to play against them this upcoming Sunday.

The Colts announced Tuesday their star defensive end DeForest Buckner has been placed on injured reserve, making him ineligible to play the next four weeks. Buckner suffered a high right ankle sprain during the team’s Week 2 contest against the Packers.

Buckner, 30, recorded his sixth straight season with at least seven sacks last season. He recorded eight sacks, 81 tackles, seven defended passes, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery for a touchdown. This season, he has 1.5 sacks and seven tackles to his name.

While unfortunate, Buckner’s absence is a sigh of relief for the Bears offensive line. That unit has inarguably struggled more than any other cohort on the Bears this season.

Caleb Williams is tied for the NFL lead in sacks, having been taken down nine times already this season. Of his 48 dropbacks on Sunday, Williams was pressured on 23 of them from 36 total pressures. He was sacked a whopping seven times for 40 yards against the Texans.

While the Colts aren’t on fire pressuring the quarterback this season (four sacks; 20th in the NFL), Buckner’s absence is a comfort for the offensive line.

That being said, the Colts’ run defense has gotten off to an awful start. They allow the most rushing yards per game in the NFL (237 yards) and the most rushing attempts against per game (46.5 attempts). Considering the Bears’ passing attack hasn’t found a rhythm, they should expect some success on the ground.

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