Colts put DT Buckner back on injured reserve with neck injury

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Colts put DT Buckner back on injured reserve with neck injury

2025-12-27 05:16 Last Updated At：05:21

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indianapolis Colts placed Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner back on injured reserve Friday, ending his season with two games still to play.

Coach Shane Steichen told reporters that Buckner aggravated the neck injury that forced him to miss five games earlier this season. He returned for Monday night's 48-27 loss to San Francisco, his former team. Buckner is expected to have surgery next week.

Steichen also ruled out starting center Tanor Bortolini (concussion protocol), receiver-return specialist Anthony Gould (foot), tight end Drew Ogletree (neck) and defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau (oblique) for Sunday's game against AFC South-leading Jacksonville (11-4).

It wasn't all bad news. Steichen is hopeful two-time All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner could return Sunday after missing three straight games with a strained calf. Indy acquired Gardner from the New York Jets in a trade deadline move in which the Colts sent two first-round draft picks to New York and he played three games before getting hurt. Gardner finally returned to practice this week.

Still, Indy's playoff hopes have plummeted during a five-game losing streak and a stretch in which it has lost six of seven heading into Sunday.

The Colts (8-7) and Jags also will be watching Saturday's Texans-Chargers game closely because the Jags can clinch their first division title since 2022 with a win and a Texans loss. Indy, meanwhile, needs the Texans to lose to avoid elimination and Colts quarterback Philip Rivers, the 44-year-old grandfather, said Wednesday he'll rooting hard for his former team, the Chargers.

Buckner's first stint on injured reserve came in November — just before the Colts flew to Berlin to face Atlanta. Buckner returned to practice in mid-December and was activated last weekend before the 49ers game. He had not practiced this week.

Buckner, a captain and one of the defense's strongest voices, was seventh on the team with 47 tackles, was second with nine tackles for loss and was tied for second with four sacks despite missing five games in his 10th pro season.

San Francisco drafted the former Oregon star with the seventh overall draft pick in 2016. He was traded to Indy in 2020.

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Rookie QBs face off as Saints visit the Titans in their home finale

New Orleans (5-10) at Tennessee (3-12)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, CBS.

BetMGM NFL odds: Saints by 2 1/2.

Against the spread: Saints 7-8, Titans 7-8.

Series record: Titans lead 9-7-1.

Last meeting: Saints beat Titans 16-15 in New Orleans on Sept. 10, 2023.

Last week: Saints beat Jets 29-6; Titans beat the Chiefs 26-9.

Saints offense: overall (26), rush (30), pass (19), scoring (29).

Saints defense: overall (9), rush (22), pass (5), scoring (14).

Titans offense: overall (31), rush (29), pass (31), scoring (30).

Titans defense: overall (20), rush (18), pass (21), scoring (T-26).

Turnover differential: Saints minus-3; Titans minus-4.

Receiver Chris Olave's 10 catches for 148 yards and two TDs against the Jets last week increased his season totals to 92 catches for 1,044 yards and eight TDs — all career highs.

QB Cam Ward. The No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft has started a franchise-record 15 games as a rookie. He is coming off his best back-to-back games by passer rating with a 122.3 rating last week as he completed a career-best 75% of his passes. He has been intercepted only once over the past seven games with eight TDs in that span.

The Saints' pass rush against an improved Titans' pass protection. Ward is no longer the NFL's most-sacked quarterback, and he has been sacked three times combined over the past three games. New Orleans ranks 12th with 37 sacks.

Saints: WR Chris Olave is questionable after being limited by a back issue Friday. ... Defensive tackle Bryan Bresee (knee) and tight end Foster Moreau (ankle) both are out again. Alvin Kamara (knee and ankle) will miss his fifth straight game. Guard Cesar Ruiz (ankle) also is out.

Titans: LB Cedric Gray, their leading tackler, cleared concussion protocol and will be back after missing last week. TE Gunnar Helm (toe) will play. CB Marcus Harris (knee), WR Bryce Oliver (knee) and OLB Femi Oladejo (fibula) are all out.

The previous two games between these NFC and AFC teams have been decided by a combined three points with the home team winning each time. The Titans won 23-21 in Nashville in 2021, while the Saints won 16-15 in the 2023 season opener in New Orleans.

The Saints have won three straight with rookie QB Tyler Shough 4-3 since taking over as the starter. ... Shough threw for 308 yards and a TD pass last week. ... QB Taysom Hill threw a 38-yard TD pass, ran for 42 yards and had 36 yards receiving last week. He is the first player in the Super Bowl era and fourth all time with at least 1,000 yards passing, 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving for his career. ... RB Alvin Kamara needs 52 yards receiving to become the fifth player all time with 5,000 yards rushing and 5,000 yards receiving for his career. ... TE Juwan Johnson had 89 yards receiving last week. ... DE Chase Young had a sack and recovered a fumble last week. ... DE Cameron Jordan had two sacks last week. ... DT Nathan Shepherd had a sack and his first career forced fumble last week. ... CB Alontae Taylor had seven tackles and a sack last week. ... Rookie S Jonas Sanker had his second career interception last week. ... The Titans' next win will be the franchise's 500th all time, including the postseason. ... Ward leads all rookies with 2,866 yards passing and is tied for the most TD passes with 13. Ward has thrown two TD passes in the past three games. ... RB Tyjae Spears had a team-high 105 yards from scrimmage last week with a rushing TD. ... RB Tony Pollard has the NFL's longest active streak of 100-yard rushing games at three straight. ... WR Elic Ayomanor had a career-high 58 yards receiving last week. He and Chimere Dike are the only rookie teammates with at least 350 yards receiving and two or more TD catches. ... Four-time Pro Bowl DT Jeffery Simmons is tied for sixth in the NFL with 16 tackles for loss and had his first career safety last week. ... LB James Williams had a team-high nine tackles and his first career sack last week.

Pollard. The veteran has put together three consecutive 100-yard rushing performances for the first time in his career with Tennessee leaning on the run over the past month. The Saints are giving up 122.6 rushing yards a game.

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