Match Preview: Indianapolis Colts vs Washington Commanders

Both teams head to London off the back of their first victories of the season, with the winner of Sunday’s matchup moving to 2-2 through the first four games of the 2026 campaign.

This will be the Commanders’ first trip to London since 2016, when they played out the only tie in NFL International Series history against the Cincinnati Bengals, while the Colts last played in London in the same season, losing 30-27 to the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The two teams will become the 17th and 18th franchises to play at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and will contest the 13th regular season NFL game to take place in N17

Commanders come to N17 invigorated by statement victory

Washington, the designated home game for this fixture, produced the upset of the third round of fixtures across the league, beating Mike Macdonald’s Seattle Seahawks, who were crowned Super Bowl LX champions in February without star quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Daniels, who burst onto the scene in a run to the NFC Championship Game in his rookie season in 2024, missed the Commanders’ win last Sunday with a dislocated elbow that he sustained in their Week 2 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. 

The 25-year-old returned to practice in a limited fashion this week in London, but has been ruled out, meaning that backup quarterback Marcus Mariota will start a second straight game. 

Led by Mariota, Dan Quinn’s side never once let Seattle get in front, beating the team that he won Super Bowl XLVIII with as defensive coordinator in 2014.

A 50-yard pick-six from Kain Medrano with just under four minutes remaining put the hosts up by nine points, leading the reigning champions 33-24. 

Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold led a quick-strike drive down the field in response, finding Cooper Kupp in the end zone to reduce the deficit by seven.

But two massive third-down runs by Rachaad White and Mariota himself extended the final drive of the game for Washington, who were able to run out the clock and secure their first victory of the season.

Long-serving wide receiver Terry McLaurin played his best game of the season so far against Seattle, being found by Mariota six times for 77 yards and a touchdown. He is questionable to suit up against the Seahawks after picking up a hamstring issue in Friday’s practice.

The 31-year-old was drafted by Washington in 2019 and produced five straight 1000 yard seasons between 2020 and 2024 before an injury interrupted 2025 campaign.

Rookie linebacker Sonny Styles, who was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in last week’s home win, is a player to watch in the Commanders’ first trip to London in a decade. 

The seventh overall pick from April’s draft forced two turnovers and broke up one pass against Seattle, getting his maiden NFL interception and punching the ball out of running back Jadarian Price’s arms in the opening stages of their victory.

Overall, the Commanders produced three turnovers in Week 3, their most in a game since October 2023. This was also the first time that any team’s defense has forced three takeaways across the NFL this season.

Mariota will have another option to go to in the passing game against the Colts as tight end Chig Okonkwo will return after going down in their season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles.

The 27-year-old, who signed a three-year contract with the Commanders this offseason, was a big football fan in his youth and rediscovered his love for the game during this summer’s World Cup.

On Sunday, he returns to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after visiting with his former team, the Tennessee Titans, when they played the Baltimore Ravens in 2023.

“It’s really cool, man,” he said ahead of his return to N17. “Everybody is pretty much out there supporting both teams. If they see a big play, the crowd goes wild. It’s a great atmosphere.”

Washington will also be boosted by the return of linebacker Frankie Luvu, who missed their last two games with a groin injury.

Luvu, who was part of the Commanders team that played the Miami Dolphins in Madrid last season, describes the energy of a European NFL crowd as “something special.”

“I’m looking forward to playing at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. I’ve heard a lot of great things about it,” he said ahead of his first experience of a game in London.

Colts return to London looking to win three international games in a row

Spencer Shrader’s 53-yard field goal with 16 seconds remaining in the Colts’ inter-AFC South battle with the Houston Texans provided their head coach Shane Steichen with his first win of the season.

The Indianapolis kicker accounted for 13 of the 19 points scored in their victory over their division rivals, who went behind for the first time in the game with just one minute and 46 seconds remaining on the clock.

Needing a field goal after falling behind 17-16, Colts quarterback Daniel Jones hit former first-round pick Laquon Treadwell for a 20-yard gain to cross the halfway line, and found Keenan Allen on a key third down to reach the Houston 36-yard line with 16 seconds remaining.

Shrader, a former soccer player, stepped up and drilled a kick, which would have been converted from a good few yards further back, right down the middle of the uprights to maintain a perfect eight-for-eight record in the young season.

After kicking his first game-winning field goal since returning from a torn ACL he suffered last October, playing at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is a lifelong dream for the 27-year-old.

“I’m super excited, because when I grew up I wanted to be a professional soccer player,” he told the Colts’ official podcast, The Colts Show.

“I grew up watching the Premier League, so I think I kind of envisioned playing in those stadiums, kicking a circular ball around.

“I’m now going to be doing that, not kicking a circular ball, so it’s going to be interesting. I’m really excited about it and can’t wait to feel the atmosphere. I haven’t been to England before”

Indianapolis are looking to make it three international wins in a row with a win in north London. Steichen’s side were 10-6 victors over the New England Patriots in Frankfurt in 2023 and returned to Germany in 2025, where they beat the Atlanta Falcons in overtime.

Standout running back Jonathan Taylor found the end zone in both of those international wins and scored the game-winning walk-off touchdown in Berlin last November, capping off the best performance of his career.

Taylor rushed for 244 yards and three touchdowns, the most rushing yards in a single NFL International Series game. He also caught three passes for 42 yards to take his total to 286 scrimmage yards.

Only Bijan Robinson (93 yards) had a longer rushing touchdown than the Colts running back last season, going for 83 yards for his second of the day in Berlin.

Another player who has produced a notable performance in Europe is Jones, who led his former team, the New York Giants, to a shock comeback win over the Green Bay Packers at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2023.

In a special day that saw the Packers become the 32nd and final team to play in London, Green Bay and Aaron Rodgers got out to a hot start, holding a 20-10 lead at the break, but the Giants scored 17 unanswered points and ran out 27-22 winners.

Sunday will be Jones’ fourth career start overseas and his 10th against Washington. In his nine previous games against the Commanders, he has thrown 16 touchdowns to three interceptions.

The Colts’ number 17 is looking to go three games in a row against Washington with at least two touchdown passes and a passer rating over 100.

Finally, Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner has played four international games since coming into the league in 2022 and has successfully broken up a pass in all of them.

The 25-year-old played twice in Europe last season, suiting up for the New York Jets clash with the Denver Broncos at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in October before being involved in a blockbuster trade with the Colts ahead of their trip to Berlin.

xfGardner, a cornerstone for the defensive unit led by Lou Anuromo, had two passes defensed successfully in their win over the Texans last week.

For those attending tomorrow's game, click here to find the best way to get to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium