When Monti Ossenfort signed Bilal Nichols as a free agent in 2024, one of the traits he had liked about the defensive lineman was his durability.

At that point, Nichols had not missed a game in four seasons. For Nichols, that was a badge of honor.

That changed when Nichols was placed on season-ending injured reserve last year with a neck problem following back-to-back games suffering a stinger in Weeks 5 and 6.

"It was pretty challenging because I'm a dude who hasn't really missed time in my career," said Nichols, who is now questionable to play in Indianapolis for personal reasons. "It was rough. Not only a physical challenge, but mental as well, but I felt like it prepared me for this moment to be stronger and be a better player than I was at the time."

Nichols could have rehabbed away from the team. For Nichols, it was important he stayed local and remained around the building. And while it was trying at times -- "there were a lot of bumps in the road" -- it which made his return to the field last weekend "everything I dreamed of."

"The neck is a serious part of the body, so there was just a lot of cautiousness going on with it," Nichols said. "Now that we're past that, I'm all healed up, ready to go and ready to whatever I need to do to help us win."

Helping find the solution for the Cardinals' quest to win again has been the focus. After three devastating losses, there's no doubt that the disappointment from Sunday's loss had lingered, but defensive lineman Calais Campbell said, "you can't let a game like that beat you twice."

There is uncertainty surrounding quarterback Kyler Murray, which doesn't help. Managing that emotion is crucial during the preparation for the Colts.

"With 12 games left, that's still like a full college season," outside linebacker Baron Browning said. "People are understanding that we don't have no time to waste. The only thing that matters is the moment today, so we want to maximize the moment to get better, perfect our individual craft, so we can come together as a team and be better."

Asked about the team's response heading into the week, coach Jonathan Gannon said it was "dope as hell." He also said that if the Cardinals didn't have the right people, the confidence within the facility might not be as high.

"I see them respond to some adversity with maybe being a little disappointed with how they're playing themselves, with our team," Gannon said. "They respond the right way. When I ask them to do something, they do it. So, we just got to keep moving ahead, forging ahead, and make sure we keep getting better."

Gannon acknowledged that neck injuries like the one Nichols suffered last year "can get a little dicey at times," but that he was pleased with Nichols' first game back.

For the defensive lineman, it hasn't been easy watching Cardinals games from the sidelines. But Nichols has gained a new perspective of the sport, something which can be helpful as the team hopes to return to Arizona from Indy with their first victory in almost a month.

"I look at it like a blessing in disguise," Nichols said. "For so many years I've been in it, and it gave me a different viewpoint of what it is that I needed to do better as player, what we needed to do better as a group, and allow me to really hone in on things that I knew I needed to improve. It's exactly as a blessing in disguise."