It's early in the fourth quarter of Week 1, and the Colts are up by 30 points on the Miami Dolphins.
And DeForest Buckner is chasing down wide receiver Malik Washington to make a tackle with no care for what's on the scoreboard.
Fast-forward to late in the fourth quarter of Week 6, and the Colts are clinging to a four-point lead over the Arizona Cardinals, who just entered the red zone and are seeking a go-ahead touchdown. On first-and-10, Buckner is double-teamed to keep him out of the pocket. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett completes a pass to wide receiver Greg Dortch over the middle of the field. Dortch sheds linebacker Germaine Pratt, but before he can turn upfield he's enveloped by Buckner, who hustled over to make a play and hold Arizona to a three-yard gain.
On the ensuing third-and-seven, Buckner pushes upfield with defensive end Laiatu Latu looping behind him. Buckner fights through tackle Paris Johnson Jr. to pressure Brissett, who steps up in the pocket to avoid Buckner. Brissett is flushed out of the pocket to his right and is chased down by defensive end Kwity Paye and Buckner, who goes into an all-out sprint to help bring down the Cardinals' quarterback for no gain.
On fourth down, with the game on the line, Buckner soaks up a double team and Latu runs the same stunt behind him, this time getting a free run to pressure Brissett, who throws incomplete.
Whether the game is on the line or not, or whether he's three yards from the ball of 20, if Buckner is on the field, he's going to hustle.
Fellow defensive tackle Grover Stewart has done the same. Not only has he had a hand in three interceptions – two via pushing the pocket and one by tipping a pass in the air – but he's made these same sort of hustle plays, too. And for a pair of 31-year-old, 300-pound players, that sort of stuff doesn't just go unnoticed.
That sort of stuff pushes everyone else on the Colts' defense to, no matter what, give maximum effort.
"I feel like Grove and Buck, in my opinion, have been putting some of the best hustle plays that I've ever seen on tape this season," linebacker Zaire Franklin said. "Both of them made a tackle down the field on a toss play. Like, you don't get that type of work ethic or that type of grind from defensive tackles in this league. I think those two guys are just playing, obviously, at the extreme level they've been playing their entire career."
Buckner, entering Week 7, leads all NFL defensive tackles with 31 tackles. Stewart is 15th with 22. Buckner, through six weeks, has played 280 snaps – the most of any Colts defensive lineman, and ninth among defensive tackles league-wide – and while he may only have a single sack, the plays he's made have been critical in getting the Colts to 5-1.
"Their relentless effort is clear and evident on the tape," defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo said. "... It certainly sets a standard. And I think that whether it be a young guy, an older guy or a first-year rookie or a first-year guy to the team, they're watching a premier Pro Bowler chase the ball like it's the fourth down in the Super Bowl. That says a lot about the kind of the DNA of the guys and certainly, Buck for sure."
Buckner, in particular, is an established team captain and a vitally important leader within the Colts' locker room. He's a 10-year veteran who's been to a Super Bowl and has been named a first-team AP All-Pro. Whether it's in his meticulous, intentional process to get to Sundays, or his play on Sundays, he's an example for anyone in the Colts' locker room to emulate.
In the Colts' Week 3 game against the Titans, Buckner's hustle showed up, too. He hustled from hashmark to sideline to shove quarterback Cam Ward out of bounds, then went from the middle of the field to the sideline to tackle wide receiver Chimere Dike.
"We talk about that all the time – communication, attitude, effort, energy and being coachable," head coach Shane Steichen said. "And that's the standard of the effort that he puts in. I mean, Buck made about two of those against Tennessee early in the season. Sideline to sideline, just flying to the ball. Lou always talks about 11 as one, and everyone playing together and going after the football. So, it's good to see that on a daily basis."
Against the Raiders in Week 5, Stewart chugged his way to chase down running back Ashton Jeanty on a toss sweep on the sideline. Also sprinting there to help make the play?
Buckner.
"Especially defensively, you feed off of energy," Buckner said. "And when you got your two inside guys running sideline to sideline, that shows the backend like, 'Man, I should be running to the ball. If the two biggest guys on the field, on the defense can do it, I should be doing it.' So, it's infectious. We always preach 11 as one, and getting hats on the on the ball carrier. I mean, for Grove and I, I mean, it's been great having Grove. Another guy that plays with extreme effort. I feel like we've been doing that our entire career. So, it's just one of those things where we're not going to give up on a play. I mean, I'm playing whistle to whistle."
