Cornerback Sauce Gardner suffered what was ruled a calf injury in the Colts' loss to the Texans on Sunday afternoon in Indianapolis. He left the contest and did not return.
While covering Houston tight end Cade Stover on an in-cut in the first quarter, Gardner looked to have tweaked his left leg. He hopped away gingerly before being helped off the field and to the blue medical tent by trainers.
The injury was initially feared to be to Gardner’s Achilles, though after the game, he told reporters that he ”felt like I got shot in the calf. But it was higher [than the Achilles].”
On Monday morning, the Colts received a promising update on the cornerback—who they traded two first-round picks for at last month’s trade deadline.
Sauce Gardner Injury Update
After NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported on Sunday afternoon that Gardner's Achilles "appears intact,” his colleague Ian Rapoport relayed another promising update on Monday morning.
According to Rapoport (and Pelissero), Gardner suffered a calf strain and, after undergoing an MRI, is considered "week-to-week."
#Colts star CB Sauce Gardner, who suffered a calf strain in Sunday’s loss, is considered week-to-week with the hope he’s back during the regular season, sources tell me and @TomPelissero after the MRI.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 1, 2025
Not long-term. But he’ll miss some time. pic.twitter.com/8BSLZSQS8S
”It initially looked like it was an Achilles [injury] ...,” Rapoport also added during an appearance on Good Morning Football on Monday. ”But it is not that, so that is good. It is not a catastrophic injury. Do expect him to miss some time, though. Calf strains can be tricky injuries. You want a player to be 100% when he returns, so expect Sauce Gardner to miss some time, which for this Colts defense—which needs everyone—that is a tough blow.”
After a 7–1 start to the 2025 season, the Colts are just 1–3 in their last four games. At 8–4, they sit in second place in the AFC South behind the Jaguars—who they’ll play next Sunday afternoon in Jacksonville.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Sauce Gardner Injury Update: Colts CB Avoided ‘Catastrophic’ Injury, MRI Reveals.
