The Cowboys blew out the Jets 30-10, but maybe New York could have made it a game if Sauce Gardner had scored on a Dak Prescott pass that hit him in the hands. The Jets trailed 10-7 at the time.
After the second-year cornerback dropped the would-be pick-six, the Cowboys converted on third down and ended up scoring a touchdown to make it 17-7.
“We have to make plays [when given the opportunity],” Gardner said after the game. “I have to make the plays because I’m not getting too many opportunities to make plays on the ball. But the ones I get, I’ve got to make the play. Like the pick that I dropped. I was thinking about scoring and staying inbounds more than catching the ball. So, I know what I have to do. I got to help the defense. It ain’t got to be a blame game, we just got to keep working.”
Gardner was frustrated with social media posts criticizing him, too. He took offense to a Cowboys fan who blamed Gardner for CeeDee Lamb’s 11 catches for 143 yards.
Gardner responded to the inaccuracy in a post on X, writing, “Damnn y’all really love sayin my name on this app. He didn’t catch a ball on me. Source: me.” Gardner then deactivated his X account and posted on Instagram, “4 catches for 19 yards is really a ‘Sophomore Slump.’”
Gardner was critical of his performance against the Bills in the season opener, calling it an “average” game. He sounded like he felt better about his Week 2 performance aside from the dropped pick.
“I dropped a pick today,” Gardner said. “Of course I didn’t like that. But for me, personally, it was pretty solid. You know 89 plays, I don’t think I gave up that many yards today. I know I missed a couple of tackles. I’ve got to make those.”
Gardner has established himself as one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, and quarterbacks will continue to avoid throwing his way when possible.