ClutchPoints
The Indianapolis Colts entered their bye week with an 8-2 record and hopes of making a deep playoff run. But after the bye everything fell apart. Sauce Gardner injured his calf in Week 13. And Daniel Jones tore his Achilles in the following game.
Gardner avoided the IR but the fourth-year cornerback has been sidelined for the last three weeks. And the Colts have lost five straight games, falling to 8-7.
Now Gardner is set to make his return, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Despite being listed as questionable for Week 17, the star defensive back is expected to play against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. The only problem is, the Colts were eliminated from the playoffs on Saturday.
It’s been a tale of two seasons for the AFC South. While the Colts dominated over the first half of the campaign, the Jaguars and Houston Texans have come on over the second half. Houston won its eighth straight game on Saturday, improving to 11-5. The Texans victory over the Chargers on Saturday officially knocked Indianapolis out of the playoff picture.
It’s a particularly brutal development for the Colts. Indy went all-in on the 2025 season after a stellar start. The team landed Gardner at the trade deadline, sending two first-round picks to the New York Jets in exchange for the All-Pro defender.
That decision is being questioned as injuries sunk the Colts’ season. And Indianapolis’ 2026 first-rounder went up in value after the Texans’ win as it’s guaranteed to be a top 18 pick.
The Colts tried everything they could think of to salvage the season after their 8-2 start. But Indy’s injuries coincided with the rise of the Jaguars and Texans. And even Philip Rivers’ un-retirement couldn’t save the Colts.
Rivers planned to start in Week 17 when Indianapolis was still clinging to playoff hopes. Perhaps he and Gardner will both take the field to play spoiler against a Jaguars team gunning for the AFC South title. After facing Jacksonville on Sunday, the Colts close the season against the Texans in Houston.
The post Sauce Gardner set to return in Week 17 vs. Jaguars appeared first on ClutchPoints.
