Shannon Sharpe didn’t waste much time after the Colts’ latest collapse. One busted coverage was enough for him to take aim at Sauce Gardner, and he made his point in blunt fashion.
“Colts kicking their own (expletive) trading 2 1st rounders 4 Ahmad Gardner. He’s gotta go by his govt name.”
That line came after Indianapolis let a game slip away at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday, falling 27-23 to the Cowboys. The Colts had a 23-20 lead after Spencer Shrader’s 50-yard field goal with 1:37 left, but Dallas answered immediately.
On the next snap, Dak Prescott launched a deep ball to Ryan Flournoy, Gardner stayed stride for stride but never turned his head, and Flournoy hauled it in one-handed for 46 yards. Javonte Williams finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run with 1:08 remaining, and Caleb Downs later intercepted Daniel Jones to close it out.
Dallas finished with a massive 508-271 edge in total yards.
For most of the afternoon, Gardner’s day looked solid enough. According to Pro Football Focus, he allowed two catches on four targets for 11 yards, added a breakup and made a short tackle on CeeDee Lamb that helped force a punt. But none of that mattered once the final minute arrived.
“That’s unacceptable,” he said. “I gotta make the play, no matter what plays I made before that.”
Sharpe has been questioning whether Gardner is still playing at an elite level for weeks, and he doubled down on X after Sunday’s loss. His criticism wasn’t just about the play itself - it was about the trade that brought Gardner to Indianapolis in the first place.
The move has been ugly on paper. New York dealt Gardner to the Colts on Nov. 4, 2025, in exchange for Adonai Mitchell and first-round picks in 2026 and 2027.
That 2026 pick became No. 16 and was used on tight end Kenyon Sadiq. Since the trade, per the Star-Telegram, Gardner has given up 20 catches for 313 yards, including 13 catches for 262 yards this season.
The Indianapolis Star was equally harsh in its assessment, calling Gardner “responsible for the play that ended up costing the Colts the game” and saying he “hasn’t been worth the price.”
The loss dropped Indianapolis to 2-7, and the path ahead doesn’t look any friendlier. The Colts have lost five straight and still have eight games left, beginning Nov. 15, per WISH-TV.
Their easiest remaining matchup may be a Dec. 27 home game against Cincinnati. Beyond that, the question becomes which opponents won’t be able to attack this secondary deep when the game is on the line.
Jonathan Taylor was held to 13 carries for 46 yards on Sunday, and Indianapolis managed just 271 total yards. In a season like this, one coverage mistake can be the whole story.
Dallas, meanwhile, had to scramble to finish off a two-win team, and Brian Schottenheimer took heat for the way it unfolded. But the loudest message from Sunday belonged to Sharpe: Sauce Gardner was supposed to be the shutdown corner. Right now, he’s the guy everyone is watching when the game breaks open.
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