By admin 
Sauce Gardner gave up a 47-yard touchdown and a 48-yard catch in London, and the Indianapolis Colts cornerback called his own effort unacceptable afterward. His next assignment is Pittsburgh Steelers receiver DK Metcalf, who is coming off a five-catch, 115-yard game in Cleveland.
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“There was multiple plays where my best effort was not there and that’s not what I stand for,” Gardner said this week. “That’s not the type of person I am. That’s not the type of player I am, and that’ll never happen again.” Those two plays, to Treylon Burks and Dyami Brown, are part of why a secondary that was supposed to carry the defense belongs to a unit allowing 392.3 yards per game, 31st in the league.
The Colts traded two first-round picks for Gardner last year, as The Associated Press noted this week. He has 14 tackles through four games and, according to PFF, a 58.7 coverage grade on 257 snaps through Week 4, with eight catches allowed on 14 targets.
Metcalf has 16 catches for 213 yards and two touchdowns on 33 targets. His 115 yards in Cleveland topped the 98 he had in the first three weeks combined. “DK is a focal point for us,” Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy said Wednesday. Former Colts receiver Michael Pittman Jr. is out with a foot injury, which means more work for Roman Wilson and rookie Germie Bernard around Metcalf.
Where Gardner and Metcalf will meet
Gardner plays 95 percent of his snaps at right outside corner and Metcalf lines up wide on 86.4 percent of his, according to the Steelers’ site. They should see each other whenever Pittsburgh puts Metcalf on that side. The same breakdown has Indianapolis allowing 72.3 yards per game to receivers lined up wide, the fourth-lowest figure in the league.
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The risk is over the top. No team has allowed more plays of 30 yards or more than Indianapolis’ 12, a big piece of the Colts’ ongoing defensive problems. Aaron Rodgers leads the NFL with 22 throws of 20-plus yards. He has completed five of them, with two intercepted.
“When you play corner, you’re judged on the ones that come your way, and we’ll get better at those things this week,” defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo said.
What the matchup decides is how Pittsburgh scores. The Steelers average 19.3 points per game, 24th in the league, and convert 32 percent of their third downs, so long drives have been hard for them to finish. A deep completion to Metcalf skips that problem. If Gardner takes it away, Rodgers has to work underneath in the rain against a defense that has allowed 30 points over its last two games. Fellow Colts cornerback Charvarius Ward Sr. is questionable with a groin injury after a full practice Friday.
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This story was originally published October 11, 2026 at 4:00 AM.