The Indianapolis Colts lost cornerback Sauce Gardner for much of Week 13's loss to the Houston Texans. He hurt his calf, according to the team, on the Texans' first drive. The corner's absence didn't greatly affect the defense, however, as Indy played fairly well.
Plus, let's be honest, Gardner missing most of the game simply meant the referees didn't have a chance to call him for a penalty he didn't deserve. Kenny Moore II wasn't so lucky.
As far as how long Gardner might be out? There is no definite timeline. According to a recent report from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the cornerback will likely miss "a few weeks," but if that is the case, then Gardner did avoid a major injury. The next few games might not be fun without him, but he could return for the playoffs.
Report says Indianapolis Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner might only miss "a few games"
That is assuming Indianapolis gets there, but let's hope for the best. The team's loss to the Texans meant the Colts fell into second place in the AFC South, a half-game behind the Jacksonville Jaguars. Indy could reclaim the division lead with a victory against the Jags in Week 14.
The other oddly positive aspect is that Indianapolis should be OK without Gardner simply because the team hasn't gotten fully used to playing with him. The Colts only traded for the former All-Pro cornerback three games ago and have played most of the season without Gardner.
Sauce Gardner is expected to have further testing done to determine the true severity of his injury, in hopes that he only has a mild calf strain. Fellow cornerback Kenny Moore II was initially diagnosed with a calf injury after getting hurt in Week 3, but that turned out to be an Achilles tendon problem, and Moore missed three games.
If Gardner only misses that many, he will not play against the Jaguars in Week 14, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and the Seattle Seahawks in Week 15, and Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers in Week 16. He might return on December 28 when Indy takes on the Jaguars again.
Assuming the Indianapolis Colts do well enough to make the postseason, Gardner should return for those games. After all, they would be the most important ones anyway.