Sauce Gardner is great. He is one of the best cornerbacks in the league. Whether he is the best is up for debate. So too is the decision to trade two first-round picks for him. Those are the conversations that make the world of sports move. What isn’t up for debate is his ability on the field. He is an asset for any team looking to upgrade their defense. If Gardner is so good and such a weapon, why did he have one of the unluckiest seasons ever? The bigger question is whether the hangover will linger
into the 2026 Indianapolis Colts season.
1-7. That was the start for the New York Jets. If you have watched football for at least a decade, that winning percentage won’t catch you off guard. What might get you is the second number: 1-7. Same number, different team. When Gardner was traded to the Colts, expectations were high. The Colts had the best record in the NFL, and Chris Ballard finally took a swing. This isn’t on the shoulders of Gardner, who was injured almost immediately upon arrival, but it shows the incredible fall the Colts experienced last year. Gardner went an unbelievable 1-7 twice with two different teams. Talk about unlucky.
Will his luck change in 2026? The answer is, most likely yes. It should improve because how couldn’t it? What is hidden in that yes is just because his luck is set to improve in 2026, that doesn’t mean it will reach the level of “good”. The Colts face murderers’ row to start the year. Baltimore, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, and Houston. Road games against Washington (in London), Minnesota, and Jacksonville welcome them too to start the first slate of eight games. There is one bright spot against the Titans. Now, hear me out. I’m not saying they will. I am not committing to that, but with seven less than easy games to start the year, could the Colts start 1-7? I just winced, but it could happen. It probably won’t, but it could. Don’t tell me it’s impossible, though. If they do, Gardner is going to start wondering about his juju.
With so much time before the season and so many variables to consider as the Colts prepare to face each team, it is a wild thought to consider Sauce Gardner going 1-7 for three straight eight-game sets. Then again, you never know. The Colts shouldn’t have collapsed last year, but they did. In no world did anyone expect Gardner would join the Colts and go 1-7, but they did. The chances of the Colts starting 1-7 again in 2026 seem borderline impossible, but they certainly could.
