The scene from the locker room Sunday — with an upset and somber Sauce Gardner left to assess the latest areas that went awry in a Jets loss — has faded, in the eyes of Jeff Ulbrich.
The response during practice this week was what he’d want.
There was focus. The right attitude. All of it.
But what remained was a challenge for Gardner from his interim head coach and the only NFL defensive coordinator he’s ever had: His tackling and physicality need to improve.
Because through eight games, Gardner has collected the worst tackling grade and the highest missed tackling percentage of his career, according to Pro Football Focus.
The 23.3 missed tackle clip marks the eight-worst number among cornerbacks who’ve logged at least 50 percent of 565 snaps.
Ulbrich thought the Patriots game showed flashes of improvement, but that doesn’t change the need for Gardner’s tackling growth entering the Thursday night game against the Texans.
“In all honesty, and we’ve had this conversation, it needs to be better,” Ulbrich said Tuesday after practice. “And he knows that. I really felt like there was an improvement this past game. If you really watch this last game with a critical eye as far as his tackling is concerned, I felt like the intent to be physical was better than it’s been.”
In the aftermath of Sunday’s game, Gardner, from his spot in the visiting locker room at Gillette Stadium, was still stuck on a late play that perhaps sealed the Jets’ fate as Jacoby Brissett drove the Patriots down the field for their eventual game-winning touchdown.
With New England facing a third-and-10 from the Jets 43-yard line, wideout Kayshon Boutte faked outside — forcing movement toward the sideline from Gardner — before cutting back left into the middle of the play.
That separation in the 1-on-1 matchup left him open enough for a 34-yard connection.
Four snaps later, the Patriots were in the end zone.
Gardner’s PFF grade has plummeted from 87.9 and 88.6 his first two seasons to 65.6 entering Week 9, and while he’s still allowed just 14 receptions on 29 targets, it reflects a drop-off from the standard Gardner set to start his NFL career.
It started with a Defensive Rookie of the Year campaign, when he made the decision to take him No. 4 overall seem like the right call.
That prompted opponents to hardly throw at him his second season, which largely has continued into Year 3.
And it has positioned Gardner for a massive extension, given what other top cornerbacks have received, after the 2024 season.
If anything, according to veteran defensive back Jalen Mills, what has unfolded can compare to Lakers star LeBron James.
The standard kept rising and rising during James’ first years in the league with the Cavaliers, and as he got older, the production and consistency continued even if the hype didn’t necessarily follow to the same degree.
“He was averaging 30 points, and people were just like, ‘Ah, yeah, it’s whatever,’ ” Mills told The Post. “But, like, the dude is 40. You see what I’m saying? You’re not impressed by it anymore, but he’s actually doing impressive s–t.”
Even with the challenge from Ulbrich, and even with the statistical downturn in stats, Gardner remains a critical piece of the Jets secondary.
He’s just 24 years old, far removed from any legitimate concerns of age shadowing him as it has for James.
He has played in every game this year, while D.J. Reed, Michael Carter II and other defensive backs have missed time with injuries.
Gardner will continue to get reps against some of the league’s top wideouts, too, and his 2024 ledger already has included showdowns with the 49ers’ Brandon Aiyuk and the Vikings’ Justin Jefferson.
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So the Jets aren’t concerned.
He’s “ready to wipe the slate clean,” Mills said.
He’ll face another difficult task Thursday, even with the Texans missing two of their top wideouts in Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins. Now, he has a physicality and a tackling challenge from Ulbrich to address, too.
“He set the bar so high as rookie Year 1, Year 2 to where, you know, everybody expects nothing to go over there, nobody to catch the ball,” Mills said. “But at the end of the day, this is the NFL. Teams scheme, and it’s gonna happen. We play the hardest position in the league besides quarterback. We do everything backwards.
“Just keep progressing, him studying, him coming out, working hard. He’ll be good.”
