The Colts’ defense has spent the first three weeks giving up far too much ground, but Sauce Gardner has been one of the few steadying forces in the middle of all that chaos.
Indianapolis opened the season with back-to-back games in which the unit was pushed around badly. The Ravens piled up 506 total yards, then the Chiefs followed with 523.
That included 324 passing yards from Lamar Jackson in Week 1 and 382 more through the air from Patrick Mahomes in Week 2. Through three games, the Colts have allowed 1,029 yards overall, with 706 coming on the pass and 354 on the ground.
That’s the backdrop for Gardner’s work, and it makes his early impact stand out even more. The Colts traded for the former Jets cornerback mid-season last year, and the expectations attached to him entering this season were enormous. So far, he’s mostly delivered.
“It’s great to have him out there,” Shane Steichen said, via Colts.com. “He’s made some good PBUs here and there.
He almost had an interception a few weeks ago. He’s been right there in coverage on a lot of these plays, so anytime you can have a guy who can cover like him, it’s going to help your team.
I think him being in the system too, Year 2 now fully in it, knowing all the details and intricacies that go with it, I think he’s only going to get better.”
The numbers back up that praise. Gardner has allowed just 82 yards in three games, with five catches surrendered on 10 targets to opposing wide receivers. He also has two pass breakups, though the interception column is still empty.
According to Pro Football Focus, Gardner ranks sixth among all cornerbacks in forced incompletion rate after three weeks. That’s the kind of production Indianapolis was after when it made the move for him.
The bigger issue is that the rest of the secondary hasn’t come close to matching his level. Even so, Gardner’s play has been a clear positive for Lou Anarumo’s group, and the Colts’ bounce-back effort against the Texans at least hinted at a defense starting to find some footing.
If that improvement against Houston holds up, Steichen and Anarumo may finally have a direction worth building on.
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Colts Still Face An Anthony Richardson Decision No Team Has Solved
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For the Colts, the bigger picture around Anthony Richardson Sr. still looks unresolved. Richardson asked for a trade earlier this year, but no team has reportedly pushed hard to land him, and Indianapolis remains in the familiar spot of holding a talented backup while weighing a future no one else has been eager to define for them. With the Giants opting in another direction, it is one more sign that the leagues quarterback carousel has spun without offering Indianapolis a clean solution. [Read more 🡒]