Sauce Gardner Has To Be The Unluckiest Player In The NFL This Season
Gardner has played for two teams this season and won only two games.
There are a few guys who could be in the running for the unluckiest players in the NFL: Joe Burrow, Nick Bosa, and a few others.
But the guy who tops them all is Indianapolis Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner.
Let’s rewind to see how this year started for Gardner. He was on the Jets for eight weeks, which is the NFL’s version of purgatory. In those eight weeks, the Jets went a paltry 1-7.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a talented star like Gardner, or a guy who doesn’t get much playing time. That’s not fun to be a part of.
Indianapolis Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
The good news for Gardner is that the Jets traded him to the Indianapolis Colts, who at the time were 7-2 and looking like legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Talk about an amazing second chance not just this year, but for the rest of his foreseeable career.
But that all changed in a fateful matchup against the Jaguars when quarterback Daniel Jones tore his achilles tendon. Bringing Philip Rivers back did not do anything to salvage the Colts’ hopes, who haven’t won since Nov. 9 and have lost six in a row. They were eliminated from playoff contention with a Texans win on Saturday.
If that’s not demoralizing, I don’t know what is.
So, if we’re doing the math on how Gardner’s year has gone strictly from a record perspective, that means he’s gone 2-13 while playing for two different teams, including one that was looking like it could compete for a title.
Yuck.
Next year could be a different story for the Colts. Maybe they find a solution at quarterback and can keep their morale high.
I’m sure Gardner would appreciate that more than most. This year has been one to forget.