Vincent Frank
It’s almost a foregone conclusion that New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner will win the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
What the No. 4 pick from Cincinnati has done thus far this season defies logic, especially when it comes to such a difficult position as cornerback.
In New York’s Week 15 loss to the Detroit Lions, quarterback Jared Goff did not target Gardner a single time throughout the game.
Typically, this is a sign of respect reserved for All-Pro performers who have spent their careers making life difficult for quarterbacks. But for a veteran to avoid a rookie in just his 14th game, it tells us another story. For his part, Gardner wasn’t happy about his inability to make a larger impact on Sunday due to a lack of targets.
“I wasn’t targeted yesterday, not once. I don’t know what their mentality is or mindset is when they go up against us, but yesterday, I wasn’t targeted. I take that kind of personally because I actually wanted to make a bigger and a better impact on the game, especially going against my hometown team. I didn’t get targeted so I didn’t get that opportunity.”
New York Jets cornerback Ahmad Gardner on lack of targets
Gardner did not that it is a “huge sign of respect.”
It’s interesting in that the Jets did have a cornerback of this ilk in the past. Darrelle Revis starred for the team from 2007-12, earning four Pro Bowl appearances while being dubbed “Revis Island.” Perhaps, we have “Sauce Island” in Jersey right now.
Related: Sauce Gardner and the top NFL Rookie of the Year candidates
Sauce Gardner’s rookie season is not typical
Whether it was an interception of Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen in Week 9 or his performance against two-time reigning NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers a few weeks prior, Gardner has made his name known on a consistent basis throughout his rookie season. The stats don’t lie.
- Sauce Gardner stats (2022): 58 tackles, 16 passes defended, 2 INT, 52.9% completion, 58.3 QB rating allowed
All said this season, Gardner has allowed a mere 317 passing yards on 68 targets for an average of just 4.7 yards per target. To put this into perspective, one of the games best cornerbacks in that of Jalen Ramsey has yielded 511 yards for an average of 7.3 yards per target.
According to Pro Football Focus, Gardner has allowed just four yards in 789 snaps playing man coverage this season. Simply put, he’s out there on an island and hasn’t needed much safety help.
For Jets team that’s in the midst of a three-game losing streak, has major issues at quarterback and is in must-win mode heading into Week 16, Gardner is that one constant. Let’s see if he can continue this Thursday night in a huge game with playoff implications against the conference-rival Jacksonville Jaguars.
Gardner going up against young Jags quarterback Trevor Lawrence should be a whole lot of fun.
