BERLIN (AP) — Sauce Gardner followed Kyle Pitts inside to the middle, so Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. threw to the outside.
The result was a 16-yard touchdown pass to Drake London with linebacker Germaine Pratt in coverage, giving Atlanta a 14-13 lead over the Indianapolis Colts at halftime on Sunday.
Gardner made his debut for the Colts after a whirlwind week that saw him traded from the New York Jets to the Colts, who gave up two first-round draft picks and receiver Adonai Mitchell to get one of the league’s premier cover cornerbacks.
Gardner was selected as an All-Pro in each of his first two seasons with New York, and though he hasn’t played as well last season or this one, a fresh start with a different defense could help him return to his All-Pro form.
Gardner, the No. 4 overall selection in the 2022 draft, made three solo tackles in the first half.
Safety Camryn Bynum said Friday that he’s seen Gardner “taking notes” and called him a “student of the game.”
The Falcons had early success running up the middle against a Colts team playing without three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, who was placed on injured reserve on Friday with a neck injury.
Atlanta's Bijan Robinson rushed for 47 yards on nine carries in the first half.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Returning to the VIBE Center, the Foster City Senior Showcase is a great place to discover r… Read moreFoster City Senior Showcase
All SMUHSD, staff, parents, and community members are invited to a panel discussion on dam r… Read moreWater is Life: Victories and Challenges in Water Equity in an Age of Climate Change
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.