Blockbuster Sauce Gardner trade just made Falcons’ overseas trip a total nightmare

The New York Jets and the Indianapolis Colts struck perhaps the biggest midseason trade in NFL history after the Jets agreed to trade two-time All Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner to Indianapolis. As shocking as this is, this is the absolute worst news Atlanta Falcons fans could have received today.

The Dirty Birds are set to travel to Berlin to face the 7-2 Colts, who added one of the best DB's in the NFL in a deadline stunner. But for a Falcons' offense that has struggled immensely as of late, the addition of Sauce is ony going to make an uphill climb even tougher in front of an overseas crowd.

Daniel Jones has been playing like an MVP candidate, Jonathan Taylor is expected to gash this porous Falcons' run defense, and now Michael Penix Jr. could be in for a long morning on Sunday. And to make matters even worse, Terry Fontenot is refusing to pick up the phone before 4:00 rolls around.

Trade Deadline Tuesday has been an absolute disaster for the Falcons

Indianapolis GM Chris Ballard isn't known for being aggressive when it comes to trades, but he just silenced those doubters. He sent two first-round picks and AD Mitchell to Florham Park in exchange for the two-time Pro Bowler—talk about a win-now move for one of the league's biggest surprises.

The Colts boast one of the league's worst pass defenses, but Lou Anarumo's unit just improved drastically. The 25-year-old might not be the same player who took the league by storm as a rookie, but the former Cincinnati standout remains one of the most talented cornerbacks in football.

The ex Defensive Rookie of the Year will only add to a secondary that already is headlined by Kenny Moore III and free agent acquisition Cam Bynum, but once Charvarius Ward returns from IR, the Colts will undoubtedly boast the best cornerback trio in the NFL.

But what makes Sauce stand out from the rest of the pack is his productivity around the line of scrimmage. According to Pro Football Focus, the No. 4 pick back in 2022 has logged an 80.9 run defense grade this season—which is good for sixth among all qualified corners.

The most unfortunate part is that Drake London is fresh off of one of his best games of the season, and now he'll receive shadow coverage from a shutdown corner. As he looks to cement a long-term extension with the Falcons, he's been playing some of his best football as of late.

London caught nine passes for 118 yards and three scores against the Patriots, and made both Marcus Jones and Christian Gonzalez look foolish in the Week 9 loss, so here's hoping he can do the same and spoil Sauce's Colts debut while across the pond.

Regardless of how the rest of the afternoon goes for the Falcons, it already feels like a loss, as the path to victory just got even more difficult entering a crucial Week 10 clash.