New England Patriots - NESN.com
It wasn’t long ago the Colts posed a real threat to the Patriots amid New England’s quest for the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs.
Indianapolis, though, no longer feels like an obstacle.
That’s in part because the Colts suffered a second consecutive loss in Week 13 and thus fell behind the Jaguars in the AFC South standings. It’s also because Indianapolis star cornerback Sauce Gardner, who was acquired before the NFL trade deadline, is expected to miss multiple weeks with a calf injury.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Gardner will likely miss “a few weeks” but avoided a major injury. It had been speculated Gardner might have suffered an Achilles tear against the Texans, but that doesn’t appear to be the case.
Nevertheless, it likely will hinder Indy’s defense.
The Colts face the division-leading Jaguars in Week 14 before a tough closing stretch against the Seahawks (Week 15), 49ers (Week 16), Jaguars (Week 17) and Texans (Week 18).
