The Indianapolis Colts have had a banged-up defense for most of 2025, but maybe players will be coming back at the perfect time. Indy's offense has been good enough to get the team to 8-2, and with a healthier defense, Indianapolis is going to be extremely dangerous.
New Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner knows it, too. The team dealt for the two-time All-Pro at the trade deadline, and Gardner will be a Colt through at least 2030. The corner opposite him is the terrific Charvarius Ward, who is signed in Indy through 2027, but Gardner hasn't played with him yet.
Ward has been on injured reserve with a concussion issue, but he is available to come off of IR in Week 12. Since he wasn't dealing with an injury to a knee or shoulder (or any other joint), the assumption is he will be OK to play against the Kansas City Chiefs. This is one step closer to the defense being as healthy as possible.
Sauce Gardner speaks truth about Indianapolis Colts cornerback Charvarius Ward
And Indy will need Gardner and Ward to be at their best against quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the rest of the Chiefs' offense. While KC hasn't been close to its level of previous seasons and is just 5-5, any team with Mahomes behind center is dangerous, especially at Arrowhead Stadium.
The game could be a tough one, but Gardner is ready for the task and excited to play next to Ward. The two cornerbacks could form one of the best duos in the NFL.
Speaking with the media ahead of Week 12, Gardner said, "Charvarius has been a dawg, since he was in Kansas City. I’m looking forward to going out there together and putting on a clinic. From afar, he’s always been that guy. We've been chopping it up a lot, talking ball, talking life in general. He's a great dude, for sure. Great person to be around."
One interesting part of general manager Chris Ballard's approach in the offseason and at the trade deadline is that he is somewhat building the defense in the way the early 2010s Seattle Seahawks were built. Instead of front to back, Ballard has made sure the secondary is potentially elite and allows the coverage to give the pass rush time to chase down quarterbacks.
That hasn't worked perfectly so far, but the Indianapolis Colts also haven't had Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward on the field at the same time yet. The cornerback duo should change the level of the unit overall. We will learn how much during Indy's Week 12 showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs.