Fansided

5 reasons Colts can win the Super Bowl this year

By Russell S. Baxter

(Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
(Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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CORAL GABLES, FLORIDA – JANUARY 30: DeForest Buckner #99 of the San Francisco 49ers stretches during practice for Super Bowl LIV at the Greentree Practice Fields on the campus of the University of Miami on January 30, 2020 in Coral Gables, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
CORAL GABLES, FLORIDA – JANUARY 30: DeForest Buckner #99 of the San Francisco 49ers stretches during practice for Super Bowl LIV at the Greentree Practice Fields on the campus of the University of Miami on January 30, 2020 in Coral Gables, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /

4. DT DeForest Buckner bolsters inside pass rush

Last offseason, general manager Chris Ballard brought in former Kansas City Chiefs’ outside linebacker Justin Houston to play defensive end in the team’s 4-3 defense. The talented veteran finished the year with a team-high 11 sacks, more than one-fourth of the club’s 41 quarterback traps.

Earlier this year, Ballard surrendered the club’s first-round pick to obtain San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. He played well in the team’s Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs, finishing with six tackles and 1.5 sacks. More importantly, he was a presence up the middle during his career with the Niners. But apparently that’s not good enough for the four-year pro.

“Being short last year obviously left a bad taste in my mouth,” explained Buckner (via Grant Gordon of NFL.com). Obviously not a lot of guys are able to make it to that game in their career, but also when you get there, you’ve gotta make it count. And I wasn’t able to make it count last year. So, I feel like we have the team that can do it, and we’ve just gotta get it done.”

In four seasons in the Bay Area, the 2016 first-round pick from the University of Oregon started and played in 63 regular-season contests, amassed 28.5 sacks and earned a Pro Bowl invitation in 2018. Look for him to consistently push the pocket.

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