INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Colts defensive lineman DeForest Buckner joins us again this week for "Inside the Huddle."
The Colts are coming off a loss in Atlanta last week and have seen some notable ups and downs lately.
“The last three weeks, I mean obviously, we had some success with the Pittsburgh game, but obviously, the week prior, we didn’t have a lot of success with the Bengals," Buckner said. "Then, we bounced back, and then, we dropped the ball against Atlanta. You know, that’s the NFL for you, you know what I mean? You look bad one week. You look great another, look bad another, so we gotta bounce back from this one. Everybody in the building knows what’s at stake, you know what I mean? We hold our destiny in our own hands, and it’s time to get back taking it one day at a time, getting on the details and really pushing each other for greatness.”
With two weeks left in the regular season, the Colts are 8-7.
“The mindset is it’s playoff football right now, you know what I mean? You know, every game counts. You know, these last two games, we have to win, you know what I mean, or we can kiss our playoff contention goodbye," Buckner said. "The guys know where we’re at, you know what I mean? We have the right guys in the building to get that mindset and to bounce back from a week like we had last week."
The next opponent is the Las Vegas Raiders (7-8), a red-hot team paying a visit this weekend to Lucas Oil Stadium.
“You see a gritty, hardworking team,” Buckner said. “They’re playing for their interim coach really hard. The guys believe in one another, you know what I mean? They found a little stability in the quarterback position, they’re going all in with Aidan O’Connell, you know what I’m saying? Pretty solid job in the run game. They’ve got great all stars, guys like Maxx Crosby on defense, who is relentless. So, it’s gonna take all three phases, you know what I mean? Everybody is going to have to pull their weight this week, and it’s all hands on deck."
Each Wednesday on Inside the Huddle, we'll introduce you to the Riley Kid of the Week.
"We have Grace LaSell. She has her 17th birthday this weekend. She loves golf, choir and music," Buckner said.
Inside the Huddle is brought to you by Republic Airways Lift Academy. Each week, Republic makes a donation to Riley Hospital for Children in honor of DeForest Buckner.