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Sauce Gardner showed a major flaw during Jets’ loss to Broncos that must immediately get better

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Mike Antoniou | Last updated Oct 1, 2024 1:43 PM ET

Let me start by saying this – I think Sauce Gardner is a top 2-3 corner in the NFL. He has proven it time and again in the three years he has been in the league. He shuts down opposing wide receivers with regularity with quarterbacks choosing simply to not throw at him. He has the potential to be a Hall of Fame player and I hope he spends a majority of his career shutting down wide receivers while in a Jets uniform.

That being said…

Sauce is not having a fantastic season when it comes to one of the fundamentals of football. His tackling has gotten downright bad. I noticed in the first three games of the season that he seems unable or unwilling to tackle the way a professional defensive back in the NFL needs to. I would catch a play here or there in the first few weeks of him arm tackling or doing the “ole” tackle when challenged.

In Week 4, it went from bad to worse. Take a look at what I mean.

I went through every play of the #Jets 10-9 loss to Denver and I noticed a disturbing trend with Sauce Gardner. He doesn't seem to want to tackle anymore. Here are 5 prime examples. pic.twitter.com/lQZ5apEXZH
— Mike Antoniou (@MikeASports) September 30, 2024

These are not the plays of a top defensive player in the league. I can’t speculate on the reasoning, but I know what my eyes tell me, and I see a guy who doesn’t want to hit. I saw a lot of other plays that could be included, but I only wanted to include those in which Sauce was attempting to be involved in the tackle.

Sauce was called out after the game by fans on social media and he responded to one post and then later deleted it.

Via A To Z Sports

I realize Sauce saw the error of his responding to a fan, but he needs more restraint there. Fans are frustrated and so are you. Boasting about five tackles when that is what you put on tape is childish.

The Jets run defense has been bad this season except for the New England game when the Patriots started mostly rookies and backups on their offensive line. The no-show of Haason Reddick along with the loss of Jermaine Johnson for the season and C.J. Mosley the past few weeks have certainly hit the Jets hard.

To Sauce’s credit, the Jets secondary including Sauce, did hold Broncos quarterback Bo Nix to only 60 yards passing and perhaps if Greg Zuerlein hit that 50-yard field goal at the end of the game, we wouldn’t be talking about Sauce’s poor tackling. But that isn’t what happened and when you lose to a team like the Denver Broncos, everyone goes under a microscope.

Sauce is arguably the most important part of the Jets defense at this point, and he needs to play better in every aspect of the game, not just the coverage part. The Jets face a vaunted arial attack in London on Sunday with former Jet Sam Darnold leading the undefeated Minnesota Vikings.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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