The Indianapolis Colts arrive for Sunday’s Week 10 International Series game in Berlin against the Atlanta Falcons as one of the best teams in the NFL, sitting atop the AFC with a 7-2 overall record.
The offense is averaging 32.2 points a game (first in the league), while the defense is allowing just 20.1 per game (the seventh fewest).
The Colts also just made an aggressive trade at the deadline to bring in All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner, who is expected to start on Sunday against the Falcons after clearing concussion protocol.
Unfortunately, while Indy will have Gardner, it appears they won’t have their most disruptive interior force for Sunday’s contest, officially ruling out veteran defensive tackle DeForest Buckner with a neck injury.
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Buckner was the seventh overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, selected by the San Francisco 49ers, where he spent his first four seasons and established himself as one of the game’s most dominant interior rushers.
Now through 10 NFL seasons (four with the 49ers, six with the Colts), he has accumulated 647 total tackles, 71.5 sacks, nine forced fumbles, and 10 fumble recoveries across 170 games, earning three Pro Bowl honors and two All-Pro selections.
This season, he has posted 42 total tackles and four sacks across the first nine games, creating an immediate hole Indianapolis will need to fill to stop Atlanta’s dominant run game.
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The Falcons have been inconsistent through the first half of the season, arriving at Sunday’s game at 3-5 yet boasting one of the NFL’s deadliest offenses.
All-Pro running back Bijan Robinson ranks third in the league with 1,058 total scrimmage yards (595 rushing, 463 receiving), while wide receiver Drake London has 587 receiving yards (ninth) and five TDs (tied for 10th) on 47 catches (77 targets).
As a team, Atlanta is averaging 335.9 total yards per game and 17.9 points per game, putting even more pressure on the depth behind Buckner.
Despite the injury, the Colts are still listed as 6.5-point favorites with a 48.5.point over/under.
