The Colts thought they were buying certainty when they swung the blockbuster deal for Sauce Gardner. Instead, they’ve been stuck in a spiral that keeps getting worse.
Indianapolis was sitting at 7-2 on Nov. 4, 2025, after its second loss of the season to the Steelers. Daniel Jones was surging, the run game was humming, and the defense looked good enough to support a real playoff push. That’s when the Colts decided to go big, sending two first-round picks and Adonai Mitchell to the Jets for Gardner, the kind of shutdown corner who is supposed to change a team’s ceiling.
The fit has been what everyone expected from Gardner individually. The results around him have not.
Since the trade, the Colts are 1-9 overall and 1-5 when Gardner has actually been in the lineup. The only win in his Colts career came against the Falcons in Berlin, and that game now stands out as the lone bright spot in an otherwise brutal stretch. Even the internet noticed the oddity, with posts circulating Sunday night about Gardner’s long wait for another U.S. victory.
Then came the collapse. After Jones suffered a season-ending injury, Indianapolis unraveled, finished 8-9 in 2025, missed the playoffs, and closed the year on a seven-game losing streak. Gardner played in four of the team’s final eight games.
The rough start has carried straight into 2026. Jones is back, but the Colts still haven’t found traction, dropping games to Baltimore and Kansas City. That includes the latest blow, a 33-30 overtime loss to the Chiefs on “Sunday Night Football” in Week 2.
Gardner still hasn’t intercepted a pass as a Colt, and he still hasn’t won a game on U.S. soil as one. The trade was meant to steady Indianapolis and set up a long run. Instead, it has landed in the middle of a stretch that has gone off the rails.
In Other News...
Colts Fans Wont Love What Mahomes Said After That Overtime Call
The Colts left Kansas City with a 33-30 overtime loss that will linger, and not just because Harrison Butker ended it with a final field goal. The game swung on a crucial fumble call against Indianapolis that was overturned after replay review, a ruling that changed the tone of the night and gave the Chiefs a break they needed as Patrick Mahomes kept the offense moving.
Mahomes certainly noticed the break, and he did not try to hide how much it helped. After the game, he addressed the reversal with relief and a little humor, a reaction that Colts fans probably wont appreciate given how much that sequence shaped the outcome. On the field, he was sharp enough to capitalize, finishing 32 of 47 for 382 yards and three touchdowns to help Kansas City escape with the win. [Read more 🡒]
Mahomes Weighed In On The Colts Call Everyone Is Arguing About
The overtime sequence between the Chiefs and Colts had enough drama on its own, but Patrick Mahomes added another layer afterward by weighing in on the officiating decision that had plenty of people talking. The Chiefs quarterback said he was relieved the play was not ruled a fumble against Kansas City, knowing full well how quickly a controversial call can take over the conversation once fans get on social media.
Mahomes also pointed to the bigger issue any time a game ends with a disputed judgment call: teams still have to settle it on the field. For the Colts, that leaves the frustration of a heated moment hanging around longer than they would like, especially in a game that turned on a decision everyone seemed to have an opinion about. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Were Nearly Burned By A Brutal Overtime Rules Mistake
The Colts came dangerously close to turning a routine overtime coin toss into a self-inflicted mess before the extra period even began. Captain Cam Bynum initially said defer, a choice that is not available in overtime, and the moment briefly gave Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs a chance to press their case with the referee before the situation was sorted out.
In the end, the ref went back to Bynum to clarify the decision, and the Colts settled on starting on defense, which meant kicking off to begin overtime. Mahomes later acknowledged he was trying to take advantage of the miscue, a small but telling reminder that in the NFL, even the rules at the coin toss can become part of the strategy. [Read more 🡒]