The Indianapolis Colts’ defense yielded one of its better performances of the young season in Sunday’s 30-13 win over the Washington Commanders, but cornerback Sauce Gardner had an afternoon he will want back.
Pro Football Focus revealed
that Gardner allowed a 156.3 passer rating when targeted in Week 4, tied with New England Patriots cornerback Charles Woods for the highest mark among NFL cornerbacks.The highest passer rating against among CB in NFL Week 4 pic.twitter.com/GYglE2XieP
— PFF (@PFF) October 6, 2026
Gardner was targeted five times and surrendered four catches for a career-high 117 yards, per NFL.com. Two explosive plays did most of the damage.
Washington rookie quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis connected with Treylon Burks for a 47-yard touchdown against Gardner in the
third quarter. On the Commanders’ next offensive possession, Kaliakmanis went after Gardner again and found Dyami Brown for a 48-yard gain.
The rough outing stands out considering Gardner’s pedigree. The two-time first-team All-Pro had broken up three passes through Indianapolis’ first three games and entered Week 4 with a 66.2 PFF coverage grade.
Indianapolis held Washington to 13 points, nevertheless, and improved to 2-2.
Gardner gets a window to rebound in Week 5 when the Colts travel to face the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: Colts CB Sauce Gardner allowed NFL’s highest passer rating in Week 4
