Indianapolis Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner (1) is helped off the field following an injury Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, during a game against the Houston Texans at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Sauce Gardner injury update should concern Colts fans

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Nov 30, 2025 3:24 PM ET

The Indianapolis Colts' injury luck has turned from good to bad at the worst possible time.

Colts quarterback Daniel Jones fractured his fibula but is playing through it. Now, another Indianapolis star has suffered an injury.

Cornerback Sauce Gardner suffered a non-contact left calf injury in the first quarter of the Colts' home game against the Houston Texans on Sunday. The DB was subsequently ruled out of the game and spotted with a walking boot on his left foot while watching the game on the sideline.

What does Sauce Gardner's injury mean for the Colts?

It's still too early to determine the severity of the injury, but it's certainly not a good sign for the Colts that Gardner had a walking boot on his leg.

Sauce Gardner was taken to the locker room after suffering a non-contact leg injury on this play

(via @NFLonCBS)pic.twitter.com/xY5ps4xtcm
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 30, 2025

Sauce Gardner is in a walking boot and done for the day. pic.twitter.com/Xhemdyqf4k
— NFL on CBS (@NFLonCBS) November 30, 2025

If Gardner misses an extended period, it would throw a wrench into Indianapolis' plans. The Colts acquired him from the New York Jets before the trade deadline passed to stay in Super Bowl contention. Entering Sunday, Indianapolis (8-3) was third in the AFC behind the Denver Broncos (9-2) and the New England Patriots (10-2).

During his first two games with the Colts, Gardner showed why trading for him could pay off. The two-time first-team All-Pro was allowing a career-best 4.6 yards per target and surrendered no touchdown catches (via Pro Football Reference).

He and fellow star CB Charvarius Ward were expected to form an elite secondary tandem for the Colts. Sunday's game marked just the second time the star DBs played together. Ward — a one-time Pro Bowler — had been on injured reserve because of consecutive concussions.

Indianapolis couldn't afford another injury to a star player, especially with its lead in the AFC South slipping away. Entering Week 13, the Colts had lost two of their past three games after a 7-1 start.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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