The Indianapolis Colts were once 7-1 and on top of the AFC. A month has changed quite a bit. The only victory the team has had in that time is an overtime win over a bad Atlanta Falcons team. Oddly, the best part of head coach Shane Steichen's team has been the defense.
Sure, Indy allowed the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 12 to keep control of the ball for far too long and creep close to 500 total yards, but that was partly because of the inefficiency of the offense. Daniel Jones and his mates kept going three-and-out in the second half, and the defense was gassed.
But even that doesn't explain cornerback Charvarius Ward's issues. General manager Chris Ballard signed the 29-year-old corner to a three-year deal worth as much as $60 million this past offseason. The hope would be that he would be the lockdown corner the team had been missing, and that would help the pass rush, too.
For the Indianapolis Colts to start winning again, Charvarius Ward needs to be better
Unfortunately, Ward has not had the best first season with his new team. He has suffered two concussions and missed six games. Injuries cannot be helped, of course, so one shouldn't blame Ward for being hurt. This is especially true with concussions, which are no joking matter.
A problem, though, is that since returning from injured reserve after his second concussion, Ward hasn't been good. He admitted as much, speaking with reporters the day after the Colts lost to the Houston Texans in Week 13.
The cornerback said, "...definitely haven’t been playing up to my standard yet...Hopefully I can come out there this next week...and be the Mooney that I know that I’ve become over the years." (Mooney is, of course, Ward's nickname since childhood.)
Ward is no longer suffering concussion symptoms, and the team acquired former All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner while Ward was still on IR. In their first game together, Ward allowed four of his eight targets to be completed for 61 yards. Unfortunately, Gardner was injured early in Week 13, but the Texans exposed Ward and his current poor form.
Against Houston, Ward allowed five of his seven targets to be completed, but for 101 yards. 53 of those yards came after the catch, which is fairly brutal. Now with Gardner likely out multiple weeks with a calf injury, Ward will need to play like the No. 1 cornerback he is paid to be.
The other issue he has had so far in 2025 is that he is missing a career-high 20.8 percent of his tackle attempts. Defensive backs cannot afford to miss that many because missing any could lead to an explosive play. To help the Indianapolis Colts get back to winning games, Ward needs to get back to playing winning football.