As the Colts defense prepared to take on the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium on Sunday, they did so knowing they would be undermanned once again.
The Colts placed Charvarius Ward Sr. on injured reserve on Saturday after the cornerback sustained his second concussion of the season during pregame warmups in Week 6, so while Kenny Moore II was set to make his return after missing three games with an Achilles injury, the defense was still missing a very significant playmaker.
So, as has been the case all season, it was time for the next man up. Who would make a play? Who would come up big this week?
In the Colts' 38-24 victory, which moved them to 6-1 on the season, it was a little bit of everybody.
It started with safety Nick Cross, who snagged his first interception of the season just after the two-minute warning before halftime. Up until Sunday, the safety had silently been one of the biggest contributors in the Colts defense. He led the team in tackles for most of the season, recorded two sacks in the first four weeks and played near every defensive snap in every game.
Cross had made an impact, but not one so tangible that the casual fan would always pick up on it. But on Sunday, with Justin Herbert and the Chargers threatening in the red zone, Cross fooled Herbert and baited a throw. He grappled with it for a moment before securing the ball, taking it away in the end zone and taking away any hopes of a Chargers touchdown.
"That's the type of play our defense needed," linebacker Zaire Franklin said. "Nick's having a great year. He made a big play in a big-time moment, like we expect him to."
Cross' interception gave Daniel Jones and the Colts offense one more chance to put even more first-half points up on the board – they already led 20-3 – and they did just that, efficiently marching down the field for a 36-yard field goal from Michael Badgley before heading to the locker room.
"Just being able to turn the ball over, first and foremost, that's always going to lead us closer to wins," safety Cam Bynum said. "Also, us not having the greatest game leading up to it — but when we need it, the best players (play) well and (make) plays."
Sunday was an up-and-down day for the defense, especially in the second half as Herbert and his offense started to find their groove, finding ways to move the chains and convert on big third and fourth downs. They scored three consecutive drives in the second half to narrow the Colts' lead to 38-24, and seemed poised to put even more points on the board when they got the ball back with just under 12 minutes left in the fourth quarter.
The Colts knew they couldn't let that happen. It didn't matter what had happened on previous plays, it didn't matter what the score was – all that mattered was finding a way to get the win.
Enter DeForest Buckner.
Through the first seven games of the season – and really, the majority of Buckner's 10 years in the NFL – the defensive tackle has been dealt double-team after double-team at the line of scrimmage. Opponents know he's too dominant to leave one-on-one if they can help it, as he's proven to be able to apply pressure even with men on him.
But Buckner knew it was only a matter of time before he'd be able to crash into the pocket and put something more than a pressure on the stat sheet.
"You're getting a bunch of pressures and hits and balls just getting out, or whatever it is," he said. "And as a rusher, I just got to keep rushing...you just got to continue to have confidence in yourself and your abilities, and that's what I have."
Buckner knew if he did have a one-on-one opportunity he had to make the most of it. That's just what he did in the fourth quarter, after pressuring Herbert time and time again throughout the game, getting two crucial sacks in what turned out to be the Chargers' final possession.
"It was definitely big, especially in that last drive, in critical moments," Buckner said. "As a rusher and a player, you want your best players to make those plays in those big-time moments, and I was able to do that today. Shout out to the rest of the guys doing their job and the back end holding up and allowing me to have time to get there."
Buckner's second sack– a massive hit for a 12-yard loss – came when the Chargers were threatening just outside the red zone with about four minutes left in the game. Buckner saw his chance, beat his matchup and surged into the pocket to rip Herbert to the ground for one of the biggest plays of the day, as the Chargers would turn the ball over on downs just a few plays later.
And at the end of the day, a win is a win.
"You just got to dig deep," Buckner said. "And I feel like we did as a defense."
