DeForest Buckner's Injury Status Updated by Colts HC Amid Slim NFL Playoff Hopes

The Indianapolis Colts' playoff hopes are already slim, and they'll now have to play their final two games without a key member of the defense.

Per ESPN's Stephen Holder, Colts head coach Shane Steichen said Friday that defensive tackle DeForest Buckner re-aggravated his neck injury and will be placed on the injured reserve. The veteran will also undergo surgery for the injury.

Buckner initially suffered the neck injury in Week 9 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was placed on the injured reserve and went on to miss five games, all of which were losses. He returned on Sunday when Indianapolis faced the San Francisco 49ers.

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Buckner, who is in his 10th NFL season and sixth with the Colts, logged 47 tackles, four sacks and nine tackles for loss in 10 games.

While the 31-year-old's absence hasn't been the main reason for Indianapolis' recent struggles, it certainly doesn't help. Before his neck injury in November, the Colts ranked seventh in the league with only 20.1 points allowed per game, but they've since fallen to 18th in that category at 23.4 points allowed per game.

The recent defensive woes, combined with quarterback Daniel Jones' season-ending injury, have Indianapolis on the brink of playoff elimination. The Colts started the season 8-2 and looked like Super Bowl contenders, but after losing five consecutive games, their odds are basically zero.

Indianapolis needs to win its final two games against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans while also banking on its division rivals losing out. Even if that happens, there's still no guarantee that the Colts will make the postseason.

With Buckner now set to miss the last two games, pulling off a miracle becomes an even more daunting task.