DeForest Buckner and Zaire Franklin combine to give the Indianapolis Colts the strangest defensive TD you’ll ever see
The story for the 2023 Indianapolis Colts will be the development of rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson. If new head coach Shane Steichen can develop Richardson on a path similar to Jalen Hurts, his former quarterback, then whatever happens in 2023 will be deemed a success.
But if the Colts defense can turn in more plays like this bizarre touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, then perhaps their 2023 season will be more than just the story of Richardson’s growth.
Facing the Jaguars, a playoff team from a season ago, the Colts defense gave Indianapolis the lead with one of the most bizarre touchdowns you will ever see:
Defensive lineman DeForest Buckner gets through the line and puts a shot on quarterback Trevor Lawrence, and the football bounces out of his hands and winds up in the hands of running back Tank Bigsby. Bigsby, thinking it was an incomplete pass, looks around waiting for a whistle.
Which never comes.
As the rookie running back is waiting, linebacker Zaire Franklin shoves Bigsby, dislodging the football from the rookie back’s hands. Buckner, having just gotten up from his hit on Lawrence, alertly scoops up the loose ball, returning it for an apparent touchdown.
The play was reviewed, and confirmed on the field to be a TD.
Richardson’s development will tell the story of the Colts’ future, but defensive plays like this might help shape their present.
Even if they are truly bizzare.
