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In a high-stakes Monday Night Football showdown against the Bills to open their season, Jets star cornerback Sauce Gardner found himself in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
Gardner, who earned Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in the previous season and was selected fourth overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, had a challenging night against Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
During the first half of the game, Allen targeted Gardner four times, completing all four passes for a total of 54 yards and an impressive quarterback rating of 118.8.
The pressure continued into the second half, with Allen connecting with his receivers for another 62 yards and a quarterback rating of 118.3.
These statistics, reported by Connor Hughes of SNYtv, highlighted Gardner’s struggles against one of the league’s top quarterbacks.
While Gardner’s rookie season had been a standout one, some NFL fans have raised concerns about his propensity to engage in tight coverage and hold receivers, often without drawing penalties from officials.
Sauce Gardner vs Jalin Hyatt – Sauce won on the very next drive to tip the ball on a deep ball.pic.twitter.com/ZYpPgR1bB1https://t.co/qaKOtGiLwA
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) August 26, 2023
The Jets are currently ahead of the Bills towards the end of the 4th quarter, so Gardner could still redeem himself if they hold on.
But folks are soo convinced Sauce is better than Surtain.
Despite the loss, Surtain held Adams to just two catches for 11 yards. https://t.co/5nsCAbyg2f pic.twitter.com/P7TnIbG90f
— BroncoFanatic97 (@BroncoFanatic97) September 12, 2023
If Sauce wants to get another All Pro, he better start holding again https://t.co/N9Yp8LHXlw
— Thomas Hall (@ThomasHallNFL) September 12, 2023
Seahawks Twitter about to be unbearable. https://t.co/Za6dQsi0P8
— Marcus Whitman (@TFG_Football) September 12, 2023
The most overrated CB in the nfl https://t.co/5TPuYcdEDm
— (Dolphins legend) XavienHowardBuner (@XavienBuner) September 12, 2023
As the Jets and Gardner will now look to hold on to their lead by the end of the 4th quarter.