Sauce Gardner laments misses in Colts debut, but loves ‘electric’ locker room after win
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BERLIN (AP) — Indianapolis Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner was thinking about a pick-6.
It would have been quite a debut with his new team.
He jumped a route but Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr.’s pass intended for Drake London went through Gardner’s hands, hit his midsection and bounced incomplete.
“I was trying to score, so I was already looking at the end zone,” Gardner said.
Still, the Colts left Berlin with a 31-25 overtime victory over Indianapolis that will soothe Gardner’s disappointment.
The Colts were trailing 17-13 at the time, on a third-and-8 with just under 10 minutes to go in the third quarter.
“That’s one I’ve got to have and that’s one that I will have next time,” he said.
It’s the type of play the Colts were hoping for when they traded two first-round draft picks and receiver Adonai Mitchell to the New York Jets on Tuesday to get one of the league’s premier cover cornerbacks.
Gardner also had one-on-one coverage on London when Penix connected with the receiver for a 2-point conversion and a 25-22 lead with 1:44 left in regulation after Tyler Allgeier’s second touchdown of the game.
Gardner slipped as London cut to the left sideline once he got into the end zone.
“I was just thinking — like I was sick after that,” he said.
Colts kicker Michael Badgley then tied the game with a 44-yard field goal with 25 seconds left.
“That was supposed to be the game winner right there, not just to tie the game up. So I made sure I’m not going to slip no more, and coverage got real sticky for us to get the ball back to our offense,” he said.
Colts cornerback Kenny Moore II was impressed by his new teammate.
“He just elevated the entire room. It’s impressive how he was able to adjust to everything that we had going into the game plan,” Moore said. “We didn’t slow up at all trying to communicate. We didn’t slow up at all getting the checks in the game.”
It’s been a whirlwind week for Gardner, the No. 4 overall selection in the 2022 draft. For the upcoming bye week, he’ll be thinking about more than Xs and Os.
“About 99 percent of my clothes are in Jersey still, so I’ve definitely got to make something happen with that because I’m not trying to be wearing the same stuff,” he said. “Definitely getting my clothes back to Indy, but I’m excited for this plane ride that we’re about to be on.
“That was the first time that I’ve been in a locker room that electric this year after a game because that was my first win I’ve been a part of this year. That’s what I’m really looking forward to.”
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL