New York Jets Reveal Why Sauce Gardner Was Mysteriously Sidelined During Opener

Some explanation has been given about why Sauce Gardner was strangely sitting on the sidelines during the New York Jets opener.

Dec 4, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner (1) looks on before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

On the cross-country flight back home, the New York Jets had plenty to think about.

They were handed an opportunity to see how they might stack up against one of the best teams in the NFL with their superstar quarterback leading the offense and their vaunted defense ready to produce another impressive season.

Whatever questions there were before this game kicked off were answered in an emphatic fashion.

The Jets were smoked by the San Francisco 49ers, 32-19, in an effort that saw their offense struggle to consistently move the ball, and their defense get torched for 401 total yards and points on eight straight possessions.

Reactions from players and coaches ranged from saying they got dominated, to accepting they're not as good of a team right now, to taking accountabliltiy they all need to play better.

Head coach Robert Saleh is confident New York will clean up things and get to the point where they can compete with the best teams in the league, a bold proclamation considering what transpired on the field.

That wasn't the only interesting thing he shared after the game, though.

There was a strange moment in the first half where their superstar cornerback Sauce Gardner was standing on the sideline without his helmet on. This occurred after he tackled Deebo Samuel, so there was some thought he might be injured.

However, ESPN sideline reporter Lisa Salters reported during the broadcast there was no indication about him being hurt, adding even more mystery to what was going on.

For those on social media who follow the team's beat writers, they were just as confused as those watching at home about why he was standing on the sideline when the 49ers were moving into position to score.

Eventually, Gardner came back onto the field and helped the Jets stifle San Francisco's drive to hold them to a field goal before halftime.

That strange situation dissipated when the two-time First Team All-Pro stayed on the field for the remainder of the game without incident, but there were still some questions about what took place.

According to Connor Hughes of SNY, Saleh said Gardner came out because "he needed to catch his breath" after the hit on Samuel.

Interesting.

The good news is it apparently wasn't anything serious that could cause New York to be without their best cornerback for their Week 2 matchup against the Tennessee Titans that they need to win to get things going in the right direction.