The Indianapolis Colts had what appeared to be an easy victory in Week 4 against the Washington Commanders, but it also might have been the ugliest 30-13 victory one can remember. Was Indy the better team? Absolutely, but Washington was playing with a third-string QB. One that toasted Sauce Gardner and A.J. Haulcy twice.
The issue, according to Gardner, is communication, with the implication being that Haulcy, a rookie safety, was not clear during in-play verbiage. Instead of Gardner just getting beat twice, the fault for the explosive plays might lie more with Haulcy.
Gardner said, as reported by the Indy Star, "We’ve got to make sure we’re playing together. I feel like we responded well – we definitely responded well – but we’ve got to make sure we’re playing together. I heard a ‘ball, ball, ball’ call early, too, so I thought it was a back-shoulder (throw) at the beginning. We were just playing aggressive...and we have to read the quarterback better. A.J. is trying to pick that ball off, and the next thing, (Brown’s) past him, and both of us are underneath it."
Sauce Gardner doesn't accept complete fault for his woes in the Indianapolis Colts' Week 4 victory
In other words, had Haulcy played fundamentally better defense and communicated better, perhaps the two long completions wouldn't have happened. On the first, though, Gardner appeared to simply be outplayed by Commanders wide receiver Treylon Burks for a 47-yard touchdown. Burks did a double move, and that left Gardner behind him.
On the second, a 48-yard gain by Dyami Brown, the receiver seemingly just made a better move on the ball than Haulcy and Gardner. Sometimes great players get beaten by other players who might not be consistently as good. It happens.
Gardner's game overall was poor. He was penalized once that gave Washington a first down, but, more importantly, allowed four completions on five targets for 117 yards. The latter number was the highest of Gardner's career. His quarterback rating allowed was the worst it could be: 156.3.
So far this season, Gardner's quarterback rating allowed is 125.6. In two games, including Weeks 2 and 4, he has allowed a quarterback rating of at least 108.3. He hasn't been good enough for what general manager Chris Ballard gave up for the cornerback last season.
The Indianapolis Colts gave two first-round selections and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell to the New York Jets in return for Sauce Gardner. That is almost certainly too much draft capital to give up for any player who isn't a good quarterback, top-flight edge rusher, or elite wide receiver. If nothing else, the team giving up all that value needs excellent play from the player they are acquiring.
Gardner has been a terrific player for most of his career, and he will probably be for the Colts in the future. He just needs to completely own it when something goes wrong because sometimes it's just his fault.
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