INDIANAPOLIS -- Colts defensive tackle Neville Gallimore sized up Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes as the elusive two-time MVP scrambled, searching for a target.
Mahomes eluded Colts lineman Tyquan Lewis, then pivoted up the field, his sights now set on the first-down marker. But Gallimore closed quickly, making an impressive diving tackle for a 1-yard loss and a sack.
This is normally when a player would celebrate, justified by a takedown of one of the game's great players. But Gallimore quickly jumped to his feet and stoically walked off the field. A simple point toward his teammates on the sideline was the closest he came to marking the occasion.
When you learn what Gallimore and his family have been through during the past year, it begins to make sense.
He has so much more to celebrate -- like his son, Nas, who was born one year ago and has undergone two open-heart surgeries.
"I play as hard as I do because my son's a fighter," said Gallimore, who has a career-high 3.5 sacks and is playing a key role in filling in for injured starter DeForest Buckner. Gallimore, in his sixth season, joined the Colts as a free agent in March and has become an important cog in their defensive line rotation.
"He's given max effort," he said of Nas. "He wanted to be home with his parents. So, it made me up my play, man."
Nas celebrated his first birthday Nov. 9, and it was no small occasion given the reality he once faced. The Gallimores hosted a birthday party full of family, friends and love. It was another reminder of how much has changed in such a short time. Gallimore and his wife, Chelsie, learned last year during the 24th week of pregnancy that Nas suffered from a congenital heart defect known as hypoplastic right heart syndrome with pulmonary atresia.
In layman's terms, it means the valve on the right side of the heart is underdeveloped, preventing blood from reaching the lungs and potentially creating dangerously low blood-oxygen levels. The condition can require multiple open-heart surgeries early in an infant's life, including one immediately after birth. The Gallimores were told a breathing machine might be necessary and developmental delays were possible. In extreme cases, a heart transplant might be required.
After a long road to conceiving through in vitro fertilization, the news was devastating.
"I was depressed," Chelsie said. "It was hard."
The couple still vividly recalls the day they learned the news during what Chelsie thought was a routine doctor's appointment. Neville was in training camp with the Miami Dolphins in August 2024 when a team staffer urgently pulled him off the field and told him to call his wife.
Neville said he jumped in his truck and "floored it" to get home, where they spent the evening in shock.
After processing the news, coming to terms with the condition and educating themselves on it, came another stunner: Neville was released by the Dolphins at final roster cuts a few weeks later.
"I felt like I was being punked," Chelsie said.
By the next morning, Neville was on a predawn flight to Los Angeles to sign with the Rams, leaving Chelsie, amid her complicated pregnancy, in a difficult spot.
"Everything was happening so fast," Gallimore said. "I was in tears."
Difficult decisions had to be made. The couple agreed that Chelsie would head back to her native Texas to be near family and her support system, while Neville tried to finish the season.
That was easier said than done.
Accepting the Rams' offer was an obvious choice for a player without a team and facing the likelihood of massive medical bills. But the experience was isolating and left Gallimore feeling helpless. The couple had never been apart since meeting in 2020. Chelsie had never missed one of Neville's games. Now, their separation came at the worst time.
"Last year, I was definitely in a dark place," Neville said. "It was probably the first time that there was nothing I could say or do about the situation. It was the first time where we learned we had to really tap into our faith for real."
A midseason neck injury left Gallimore sidelined for three games, during which the Rams granted him permission to rehab in Texas. That enabled Neville to be present for Nas' birth, as the family braced for the uncertainties to come.
A huge team of doctors and specialists crowded the delivery room as Chelsie prepared to give birth. Nas' heart rate was dropping during two attempts at an induction, leading to an emergency C-section.
Then, finally, came some good news: Nas was breathing on his own. That meant inserting a stent a few days later might be sufficient. Ultimately, that effort proved unsuccessful when the stent did not fit, making a full heart surgery necessary.
"I went from thinking he's about going to get a stent, and now he's about to go have open-heart surgery," Chelsie said. "So, the doctors told me to take a picture of his chest because it would be the last time I see his chest without a scar."
Doctors initially reported that the surgery was successful. Then came yet another shock: Nas went into cardiac arrest as doctors tried to close his chest. They initiated lifesaving measures and stabilized him. But because he was sedated and still on a breathing machine, they had to wait to determine potential negative effects.
"It just kept feeling like you'd take half a step forward and it'd be like six, seven steps back," Neville said.
But Nas pulled through and, slowly, things improved. After 32 days in the hospital, he went home for the first time. He underwent a second planned surgery in April and, now, is thriving. Nas will need another surgery at around 3 years old, and future procedures might be necessary. But he's projected to live a mostly normal life.
Neville noticed his performance improved in direct correlation to Nas' condition. It's difficult to argue. In the 2024 playoffs last January, Neville produced 2.5 sacks in two games, including one for a safety against Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. By then, Nas was at home and doing well.
Now, he's just like any other toddler. As his parents tell his story, he bounces around their living room chasing a ball. His smile is contagious. He's as happy as can be.
"The motto with him is he doesn't look like what he's been through," Neville said. "I feel like that's a blessing."
Meanwhile, his dad -- a 2020 third-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys -- is enjoying what he believes is his best season on the field.
"I notice a different drive in him," Chelsie said.
Others are taking notice, too.
"When you have that third [defensive tackle] coming in with energy and playmaking, man, it makes a big difference," said Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin, a defensive captain. "The effort and the hustle plays he's made this season have helped us out tremendously."
The motivating force that has brought out that effort is often sitting in the stands at Lucas Oil Stadium. Nas now often accompanies Chelsie to games. Win or lose, every day feels like a happy ending for the Gallimores.
"Being able to go hold him after the game and just seeing our little family together, it means everything," Neville said. "... It's that extra motivation that I didn't know I needed."