DeForest Buckner believes the Indianapolis Colts have shown the level of defense they can play.
The true test is sustaining it without allowing a handful of snaps to undo their work.
Ahead of Sunday’s home matchup against the Tennessee Titans, Buckner emphasized confidence and consistency as Indianapolis looks to rebound from its 34-22 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
“Just confidently playing the solid ball I know we can play. I know we showed some spurts of it,” Buckner said Thursday, via Roundtable.io's Jake Arthur.
The veteran defensive tackle pointed to the damage caused by Pittsburgh’s biggest gains.
“Looking back at the film from last week, it’s just a couple of plays that were big explosives that turned the game for them.”
Indianapolis Colts'
DeForest Buckner On Defensive Frustrations pic.twitter.com/6PWQjo2TpC
— Jake Arthur (@JakeArthurNFL) October 15, 2026
Steelers running back Jaylen Warren came through with an 80-yard touchdown reception and a 50-yard touchdown run, providing two costly examples of the breakdowns Buckner wants eliminated.
Buckner also stressed the value of division wins, describing them as “plus 2” while discussing Tennessee. Beating a division opponent means improving your own record, in addition to dropping a loss to a direct competitor.
The Colts stand at 2-3, with a shot to return to .500. And as Bucker noted, getting back to even starts with turning those good stretches into a more complete defensive performance.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts’ Buckner pinpoints defensive issue before Titans matchup
