Sauce Gardner shuts up all the haters with dominant first half vs. DK Metcalf

The NY Jets have one of the best defensive players in the league in cornerback Sauce Gardner, but those who dedicate themselves to hating on Gardner on social media have made it a point to take shots at Gardner for not shadowing many of the top receivers in the NFL under Robert Saleh.

With a new coach in town, Gardner has been moving around the defensive backfield more often. Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf can make or break a game, and new defensive coordinator Steve Wilks is doing everything he can to make sure that Gardner is nearby as much as possible.

Gardner was next to Metcalf on 15 of 16 coverage snaps in the first half. In that half, Gardner did not allow a single catch as the nearest defender. Metcalf had two catches for 54 yards in this game, but neither of them was against Gardner. This has been vintage Sauce from the jump.

NY Jets CB Sauce Gardner has great first half vs. Steelers WR DK Metcalf

Gardner slowing down Metcalf has been invaluable for the Jets, as the rest of the secondary has been getting torched by Aaron Rodgers. The future Hall of Famer has over 150 yards and two touchdown passes in his return to MetLife Stadium, though most of those yards have not come at Gardner's expense.

Between Brandon Stephens not turning his head around (which allowed Calvin Austin to reel in a big catch) and both Michael Carter II and Tony Adams missing tackles on big plays, the rest of the Jets secondary has not been performing up to the level many expected them to be at.

Even though Metcalf may not be the most ideal matchup for Gardner due to the former's tremendous size and the latter's struggles with tackling in the open field, Gardner has asked for the challenge of squaring up with the best in the game, and he has answered the call so far.

The Jets performed admirably in their first half against Pittsburgh, and one of the main reasons why is the fact that Gardner appears ready to reclaim his spot as an All-Pro cornerback under Aaron Glenn's watch.