The Indianapolis Colts ripped out a 30-13 win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday, but it wasn’t a pretty matchup.
Offensive trouble aside, their defensive unit is far from squared away.
Sure, they’ve shown improvement since Week 1, but one defensive player is particularly concerning.
Indianapolis Colts’ Sauce Gardner Raises Red Flags
As pointed out by Kevin Bowen of 107.5 The Fan, 25-year-old Sauce Gardner hasn’t been producing as well as the Colts know he’s capable of.
“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 had a handful of offensive players sidelined during the clash, including wide receiver Terry McLaurin and quarterbacks Marcus Mariota and Jayden Daniels.
Given that their starting crew wasn’t on the field, this is even more concerning.
Gardner, now in his second season as Indianapolis’ cornerback, has logged 12 total tackles (nine solo, three assisted).
During his 2025 campaign, which was split between the New York Jets and the Colts, he registered 36 total tackles (28 solo, eight assisted) across 11 games.
As a two-time Pro Bowler (2022, 2023), there’s no viable argument against Gardner’s ability as a player.
But communication, or lack thereof, along with targeted coverage, seems to be knocking him down.
Bowen is not the only one expressing concern — he’s joined by fans and fellow analysts who are noticing his downfall.
Snapshot of Where the Colts Stand After Week 4 Victory
Following their victory against the Commanders, Indianapolis is now 2-2 overall.
They are still claiming the No. 2 spot in the AFC South, just behind the Jacksonville Jaguars (3-1).
The Tennessee Titans and the Houston Texans both lost their Week 4 matchups, resulting in a hideous four-game losing skid.
Looking ahead to Week 5, the Colts will be taking on the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 11, at 1 p.m. ET.
For context, the Steelers are coming off a tight 27-24 loss to the Cleveland Browns on Thursday, Oct. 1.
They are currently 2-2 overall, but are second-to-last in the AFC North, trailing the Baltimore Ravens (3-1) and the Browns (3-1).
Between now and then, Indianapolis has some work to do on both sides of the ball.
As mentioned, their defense has shown flashes of improvement, but scraping by simply isn’t enough to make a deep run this season.
Adding to the mayhem is their dwindling offense.
Something needs to change. The weeks are passing quickly, and in the grand scheme of things, there isn’t a ton of time to get the team squared away on all fronts.
Indianapolis Colts’ Insider Sounds Alarm on $120 Million Pro Bowler