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stephen holder
INDIANAPOLIS — colts towards the corner Sauce Gardner escaped an Achilles injury in Sunday’s game against houston texans But he will be out indefinitely with a left calf injury, coach Shane Steichen said Monday.
Gardner traded to indianapolis New York Jets last month in a surprising transactionThe injury occurred in the first defensive series against Houston, leading to fears that he might suffer a life-threatening Achilles tear.
Gardner initially could not walk without assistance and did not return to playing. He was provided with crutches by the team’s medical staff, but later after the game he was able to walk easily without assistance. The news was positive after further investigation on Monday, Steichen said.
He said of Gardner, “His Achilles is good to go, but he’ll probably miss some time.” “How much time? I don’t know at the moment.”
Placing Gardner on injured reserve, which would require him to miss at least four games, is a no-brainer, Steichen said. The Colts (8-4) have five games remaining in the regular season and are in a battle for a spot in the AFC playoff field.
Gardner’s absence changes things for the Colts. Their intention was to use him and fellow standout cornerback Charvarius Ward In stable roles on the right and left side of defense respectively. But Gardner’s injury upended that plan, with Ward’s roles reversed on Sunday and Houston’s top receiver following, Nico Collinsaround the formation. Due to this the lift became very heavy.
“Just gotta rise to the occasion,” Ward said Monday. “I don’t think I played well…I’ll get better though.”
Collins had five catches for 98 yards in the game. This was just the second game with the pairing of Gardner and Ward in the Colts’ backfield, Ward having returned from injured reserve just a week earlier.
“It was sad to see him lose on the second play of the game,” Ward said.
On Sunday, Gardner expressed his disappointment in missing most of the game, which the Colts lost 20–16.
“I just wish I could be there,” he said.
