Sauce Gardner just ended a 651-day wait for an NFL win in the United States. Now the Indianapolis Colts cornerback is back on international soil. The Colts clinched their first victory of the campaign in Week Three as they beat the Houston Texans 19-17, before which Gardner's last win in the U.S. came on December 15, 2024 during his time with the New York Jets. Gardner was traded to the Colts in November 2025, his only win after that coming against the Atlanta Falcons in Berlin before Indianapolis lost their final seven games of the season.
He returns to Europe once again this week as the Colts face the Washington Commanders at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, live on Sky Sports NFL. "The crazy thing I was saying to [team-mate] Josh Downs is imagine we had lost that game in the States, and then ended up playing international, win international but lose in the States. That was giving me a lot of pain," Gardner told Sky Sports. "I always love international games, London especially, because it's great, so it's always a special place in my heart, it's just amazing."
Colts offensive tackle Bernhard Raimann was in attendance as a teenage fan for his first live NFL game at Wembley Stadium back in 2013. The Austrian now returns to London as a player in awe of his own career journey. "Back then, I just started playing football," Raimann said. "I thought those guys on the field were like freaking superheroes. I really hope that some kids can see me and listen to my story or see what's possible and hopefully they can embrace their dreams."
Sunday's game represents the first of three successive London matchups in October, while featuring as part of a record nine international games this season following the NFL's debut in both Melbourne and Rio de Janeiro. It arrives as the latest indication of the NFL's commitment to global growth, the Commissioner Roger Goodell having repeatedly alluded to the ambition of 16 international games per season.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing