Is this where the Jets’ playoff dreams with Aaron Rodgers hit turbulence? After a 28-27 heartbreaker against the Colts, it’s hard not to wonder. The Gang Green is probably feeling like they just watched their flight delay turn into a cancellation. Interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich isn’t dodging accountability, saying: “I always point the finger at myself first.” But former Jet Bart Scott? He’s pointing that finger right at Sauce Gardner—and it’s not subtle.

Scott didn’t hold back, breaking down Gardner’s misstep on Alec Pierce’s big catch during Indy’s game-winning drive. He went into full coach mode: “As Cover 2, what you’re supposed to do is make the receiver go outside. Use the sideline as part of your defense. If he touches out, he’s dead. You’ve gotta be in between your safety and the receiver to cover both and maybe snag an interception if it’s a loose throw.”

Sounds simple enough, right? But Scott didn’t stop there. He literally demonstrated what Gardner should’ve done, calling out the CB for getting caught in no-man’s-land. Instead of re-routing Pierce, Sauce froze mid-play, got tunnel vision on the QB, and lost track of what was behind him.

That slip-up? It cost the Jets big time. For a defense built on swagger and precision, moments like this sting. Sauce has got to learn from it. Not much from the postseason perspective. But he should not be making these positional errors, especially in games where a point margin is enough to decide your fate.

Sauce Gardner is not doing himself any favors

Jets fans, can we talk about déjà vu for a second? Because watching this defense feels like re-watching a bad movie—you know every twist, and none of them are good. Remember the Cardinals game? Twenty missed tackles in a 31-6 loss. Ouch. Interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich had to go full Pop Warner after that one, saying, “We’ve got to wrap, we’ve got to get population to the ball.” Translation: back to tackling school.

And what did Sauce Gardner think of that? Not much. “We know how to tackle,” he said. Fast forward, and here we are—bitten by the same mistakes. Again. Against the Colts, things weren’t as tragic, but they weren’t great either. Case in point: first quarter, Anthony Richardson finds Adonai Mitchell, and Sauce takes a bad angle. Missed tackle. Boom—Mitchell down to the one-yard line, and Richardson punches it in. That’s how you start a rough night.

To their credit, the Jets’ defense tightened up in the second half, holding the Colts to just 81 rushing yards and a measly 2.5 yards per attempt. But here’s the thing—when you dig yourself a hole early, even a decent second half isn’t enough to climb out.

As for Gardner, he lost the Sauce points on the whole, “We don’t need a presentation,” claim. Now, the Gang Green is thinking, what if he had seen those presentations? Maybe, just maybe, the result would have tipped in their favor. Guess he’d remember to walk the talk, next time (if there’s one).