This Colts DL will wreak havoc vs. Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears interior offensive line will need all hands on deck on Sunday

The Indianapolis Colts traded for DeForest Buckner to complete their defensive line. After a quiet week, one that had many questioning whether the Colts were any good, Buckner took it upon himself to get the team back into good record standing.

Buckner created ten pressures and two sacks over the past two weeks, according to PFF. He has been unblockable. The Bears offensive line has been one of their biggest strengths so far to date. However, on Sunday, they did show a little weakness against Grady Jarrett. To be fair to the line, Jarrett is just a step below Aaron Donald as the top interior defensive lineman in the NFL. He is going to blow things up.

However, Jarrett may have just laid a foundation for Buckner, who is in the same tier as Jarrett. While the two are similar, Buckner and Jarrett’s most significant difference is that Jarrett stands at 6’1″ with 32″ arms, while Buckner is a massive 6’7″, with 34″ arms.

Like Jarrett, Buckner uses his specific size to his advantage. However, even more than Jarrett, Buckner moves up and down the Colts defensive line. He spends just as many snaps over the left guard as he does the right guard. So, while Germain Ifedi got all of the Grady Jarrett he can handle on Sunday, Buckner will give Ifedi and James Daniels a long day.

James Daniels

Daniels has always had trouble with power. While Daniels has been excellent this season, it is very fair to say that he has not seen anyone close to the power of DeForest Buckner.  Daniels is better than Dakota Dozier; however, watch how easy it is for Buckner to get around him. Look at that length as he swims over the smaller guard.

While Daniels is going to see a bigger test in pass pro than before, the run game may be the most important aspect. As we have noted often, the Bears have moved from inside, and gap runs to an outside zone philosophy. This relies on athleticism from the Bears o-line more than power. However, this is also how Jarrett took advantage in the run game. He shot gaps as the offensive lineman jumped laterally and beat them to their spots.

Take a look at the play below. The guard is getting to the second level, and left tackle is expected to reach over to take on Buckner. Of course, Buckner blows this thing up before it gets started.

Germain Ifedi

If we flip to the other side of the line, we see the same issue. The right guard is trying to get into space, the right tackle is reaching across the line, but Buckner has destroyed it all before it had any shot.

Lastly, we see a warning call for Ifedi. Dru Samia will have nightmares about DeForest Buckner, and how he knocked him to the turf with an arm bar. Samia may not be an elite lineman, but the pure power it would take to knock a man like him over with that kind of ease is terrifying. Ifedi, like Daniels has been praised for athleticism, but is not a match for that power. The scary thing is if Buckner can blow up the run with his athleticism, then destroy the Bears guards in one-on-one situations.

Grady Jarrett is an elite defensive lineman and gave the Chicago Bears fits. There is a firm expectation that Buckner can not only repeat Jarretts performance, but he may have a better matchup advantage than Jarrett had.