Indianapolis Colts Insider Puts Sauce Gardner on Notice

The Indianapolis Colts walked out of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a 30-13 win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday, but the result did not settle questions about cornerback Sauce Gardner.

Gardner, 25, was beaten twice over the top for long gains, including a third-quarter touchdown. Both throws came from Commanders rookie third-string quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis.

The first was a 48-yard scoring pass to Treylon Burks on a double move down the left sideline. Gardner slowed midway through the route and fell several steps behind. Rookie safety A.J. Haulcy arrived too late to help, and Burks scored.

On Washington’s next possession, Kaliakmanis hit Dyami Brown for 49 yards with Gardner and Haulcy again trailing. The two plays produced 97 yards and the Commanders’ only touchdown.

Kevin Bowen of 107.5 The Fan called the sequence one of the day’s clearest problems.

“One of the more alarming things from Sunday was seeing Sauce Gardner get beat twice over the top for huge gains, including a 3rd quarter TD,” he wrote. “The real alarming part of this was the 4th and 5th wide receivers of the Commanders getting behind Gardner, and their rookie 3rd string QB delivering on these huge plays.”

Washington was already short-handed. Wide receiver Terry McLaurin did not play, starting quarterback Jayden Daniels was out, and backup Marcus Mariota left with a knee injury. Kaliakmanis finished with 186 passing yards.

Gardner blamed over-aggression and missed communication.

“We’ve got to make sure we’re playing together. I feel like we responded well – we definitely responded well – but we’ve got to make sure we’re playing together,” Gardner said.

The cost of that coverage is already on the books. Indianapolis sent the New York Jets two first-round picks and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell for Gardner at the 2025 trade deadline. He still has no interception as a Colt, a stretch that now covers 11 months and eight games.

Gardner had signed a four-year, $120.4 million extension with the Jets before the deal, an average of $30.1 million a year that made him the highest-paid cornerback in the league at the time. The Colts took on the contract.

Through four games this season he has 14 tackles, 11 solo, with no interceptions. One accounting of his coverage charged him with eight catches allowed on 15 targets for 186 yards, one touchdown, three pass breakups and an opponent passer rating of 120.4.

Sunday alone was steeper. He was charged with three catches on five targets for 104 yards and a touchdown, good for a 143.8 passer rating on those throws, plus one pass breakup.

The win moved the Colts to 2-2, second in the AFC South and one game behind the Jacksonville Jaguars at 3-1. The Tennessee Titans dropped to 0-4. The Houston Texans are also 0-4 after a Sunday loss.

Indianapolis has looked better on defense since Week 1, but the unit is still giving up explosive plays. Sunday’s deep shots came against a depleted offense, which is why the misses stood out.

The Colts play at the Pittsburgh Steelers next Sunday at Acrisure Stadium at 1 p.m. ET. Pittsburgh is 2-2 after a 27-24 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Thursday.

The Browns and Baltimore Ravens are both 3-1 in the AFC North. Gardner’s next test will show whether the London busts were a one-week communication problem or a larger issue for a defense still trying to settle.