Just minutes into the action at Lucas Oil Stadium, in a scene no one ever wants to see, the Indianapolis Colts’ new defensive star began limping without any clear contact. Sauce Gardner, the former Jet, was forced to leave the field with assistance from the training staff.
According to reporter Ari Meirov, who shared the update on his official X account (formerly Twitter), the Colts announced that the cornerback suffered a non-contact calf injury, and has been ruled out for the rest of today’s game.
One of the most impactful defensive players in the league arrived in Indianapolis at the last trade deadline to strengthen a unit that had been questioned throughout the campaign. It will now be a matter of determining the severity of his injury to understand what it could mean moving forward.
Gardner’s numbers during his short stint with the Colts
Cornerback Sauce Gardner has established himself as a premier shutdown defender in the Indianapolis Colts’ secondary this season. While the interceptions haven’t piled up, his presence alone has deterred opposing quarterbacks.
Gardner has accumulated 26 total tackles and is tied for the team lead with 8 passes defensed (PD), a testament to his elite coverage skills. Remarkably, he has yet to record an interception or a forced fumble, but his exceptional rate of breaking up passes highlights his continuous impact on stifling the opposition’s passing game.
Gardner’s arrival in Indianapolis
The Indianapolis Colts made one of the most significant moves at the recent trade deadline, acquiring All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner in a blockbuster deal. The decision by Colts management to pay a premium price for the former Jet immediately signaled their commitment to competing for a title this season.
Two first-round draft picks (2026 and 2027) and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell are what the New York franchise received, having stocked up on future draft selections — making Gardner’s arrival in Indianapolis far from cheap.
Gardner’s arrival instantly solidified the team’s secondary, providing the elite, lockdown coverage defender that the Colts defense had been missing. This bold trade has since paid dividends, transforming Indianapolis’s defensive unit into one of the league’s most formidable forces heading into the final stretch.