Colts Lose Sauce Gardner for Texans Battle

Gardner's absence means an increased workload for cornerbacks Mekhi Blackmon and Jaylon Jones.

Charvarius Ward and Kenny Moore II will be leaned on more than ever to help quell the Houston offensive going forward.

This injury is a gut punch to Lou Anarumo's defense, and potentially the franchise depending on the severity of the setback.

For those out of the know, Indianapolis dealt off their 2026 and 2027 first-rounders to the New York Jets before the trade deadline to add Gardner to Anarumo's defense.

It gave the veteran coordinator an incredible cornerback trifecta of Gardner, Ward, and Moore.

Few NFL teams can boast such talent in their cornerback room, and the hope is that it turns the backfield into a terrifying task to traverse for opposing offenses.

So far, the Colts have been able to keep the Texans' offense in check with the return of quarterback C.J. Stroud. We'll see if the absence of Gardner holds back the defense as the game unfolds.

The Colts maintained at times this year without both Moore and Ward on the field, getting through games with the likes of Blackmon and Johnathan Edwards as starters at corner.

This should give Colts fans confidence that Anarumo can traverse this massive loss to his defense after what the former Cincinnati Bengals coordinator was able to accomplish in past weeks.

Going forward, it will be all about the defense getting pressure on Stroud to help the cornerbacks compete with wideouts like Nico Collins, Xavier Hutchinson, and Christian Kirk.

Keep an eye out on the performances of pass-rushers Laiatu Latu, Kwity Paye, and Tyquan Lewis to put the clamps on Stroud in the passing attack.

As for limiting the ground game, Grover Stewart, Chris Wormley, Adetomiwa Adebawore, and Neville Gallimore will be tasked with keeping the Texans rushing game plan in check.

This is a massive game holding so much weight as far as AFC South contention, and Indy can't afford a third loss in the last four games with their division tightening up.

It will be interesting to see how the defense adjusts without Gardner, and how much the Texans try to target Blackmon and Jones going forward.