The Indianapolis Colts' defense has been generally porous through the first three games of the season. However, a bounce-back performance against the Houston Texans this past weekend showed signs of life for Lou Anarumo's group, including star cornerback Sauce Gardner.
The Colts' first two games against the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs left the defense on its heels, looking completely unprepared to face the NFL's best offensive players like Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry, and Patrick Mahomes. Against the Texans, though, it was different.
Part of that difference had a lot to do with the superstar the Colts traded for mid-season last year. Expectations for Gardner were the highest of his career going into this season because of what the Colts gave up for him. Indianapolis's defense may not be great, but Gardner has, and his head coach has taken notice.
Indianapolis Colts' HC Shane Steichen loves having Sauce Gardner on the field
When any defense allows over 500 yards of total offense in one game, that's alarming. When it happens in two consecutive games, that's dreadful. The Colts were in this category at the start of the year, allowing 506 total yards against the Ravens and 523 total yards against the Chiefs.
The Colts struggled to contain opposing running backs, and the secondary was also not of great help. Against the Ravens, the Colts secondary gave up 324 passing yards to Jackson, and in Week 2, 382 passing yards to Mahomes. Over three games, Indianapolis has allowed 1,029 yards (706 passing, 354 rushing).
This is how you lose games. This is how defenses get criticized in the media, and the Colts were victims of both. That being said, as poor as the Colts' defense, and especially their secondary, has been in the first two games of the season, Gardner, from an individual standpoint, has been elite, and quietly, he's made a significant impact that his head coach can't ignore.
"It's great to have him out there," Shane Steichen said, via Colts.com. "He's made some good PBUs here and there. He almost had an interception a few weeks ago. He's been right there in coverage on a lot of these plays, so anytime you can have a guy who can cover like him, it's going to help your team. I think him being in the system too, Year 2 now fully in it, knowing all the details and intricacies that go with it, I think he's only going to get better."
Gardner has indeed been 'right there in coverage' for play after play, and his numbers back it up. The former New York Jets cornerback has given up just 82 yards in three games on five opposing wide receiver receptions and 10 targets. He's also recorded two pass breakups, although no interceptions just yet.
After three weeks, Gardner ranks sixth among all cornerbacks in forced incompletion rate, according to Pro Football Focus. This is the production the Colts hoped to get when they made the trade last season. It likely helps that he's had a full offseason to learn Anarumo's system, whereas last season, it was a make-it-up-as-we-go-along type of adaptation.
Again, the yards the Colts' secondary is giving up aren't good by any means, but at least from Gardner, the Colts are getting what they want and need from him. Now, if only his impact can trickle down to his teammates, and if the improvement Colts fans saw from their team’s defense against the Texans was real, Stechien and Anarumor's group is heading in the right direction.
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