NFL: Colts see off Commanders at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

Shane Steichen’s Colts move to 2-2 through four weeks of the 2026 season with the win over Dan Quinn’s Commanders, who lost quarterback Marcus Mariota to a knee injury in the first quarter.

Mariota, who was starting in place of star quarterback Jayden Daniels (elbow), was replaced by 23-year-old seventh-round rookie Athan Kaliakmanis, who took his first NFL snaps in north London. 

Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, who has scored in each of their three wins overseas, rushed for 95 yards and two touchdowns, while former football player Spencer Shrader kicked three field goals and three extra points in front of 60,907 spectators in N17.

While Indianapolis ended up winning by three scores, they struggled to begin with. 

Quarterback Daniel Jones turned the ball over on the opening drive, having it hit out of his hands by Odafe Oweh on the second play of the game, with the 27-year-old pass rusher recovering the fumble.

Washington took over with the ball at the Colts’ 21-yard line, but quickly faced a 3rd and 11, which they could only pick up nine yards from, being forced to settle for a Drew Stevens field goal from 31 yards. 

The Commanders defense, called by Daronte Jones, forced the Colts offense into a three-and-out on the following drive and quickly found themselves on their opponent’s side of the field.

Mariota began the drive by keeping the ball and rushing to his left for 35 yards to the Colts’ 46-yard line two plays before a short pass to Jacory Croskey-Merritt was taken for another 35-yard gain to put them seven yards from the end zone.

Lou Anarumo’s Colts defense held strong, though, with Laiatu Latu and Adetomiwa Adebawore bringing down the quarterback for a loss of six yards on 3rd and goal at the five-yard line, with the quarterback taking a hit to the knee that ended his day.

Stevens then headed onto the field to attempt a 29-yard field goal, which he converted with ease to put the Commanders up by six points with just over six minutes to go in the first quarter.

Four straight punts followed as the game ticked over into the second quarter, where the Washington defense continued their early success.

After crossing the halfway line for the first time of the day five minutes into the second quarter, Jones threw a throwaway pass downfield, and cornerback Rasul Douglas intercepted it.

Despite a dominant defensive display through the first quarter and a half, the Commanders, who were struggling on offense after Kaliakmanis came in for the injured Mariota, fell a point behind via a Jonathan Taylor touchdown.

The Colts offense responded to the Jones interception well, with Taylor ending a nine-play, 46-yard drive with a five-yard touchdown run with three and a half minutes to go in the half.

Having struggled for the vast majority of the first half, Steichen’s Colts got a stop on the next possession and went into the break with a 10-6 lead after gaining 51 yards in 58 seconds to set up a 48-yard field goal for Shrader to drill through as time expired.

Four plays into the second half, the Colts offense had the ball once more after linebacker Jaylon Carlies read the eyes of Kaliakmanis and intercepted the scrambling quarterback to set up an instant red zone opportunity for his team.

An 11-yard pass by Jones to Laquon Treadwell, needing six yards on third down, set up a goal-to-go opportunity at the five-yard line, which Taylor took advantage of on the very next play, bursting through the middle of the Washington defensive front and into the end zone.

Now trailing 17-6, Quinn’s Commanders needed an instant response to get back into a game they were once in control of.

The seventh-round rookie found Austin Ekeler for an 11-yard gain two plays into the next drive, before runs by the recipient of the pass and Croskey-Merritt took Washington over midfield.

Kaliakmanis then threw the pass of his very young NFL career, connecting with former first-round pick Treylon Burks deep downfield for a 47-yard touchdown. Stevens’ extra point that followed made it a four-point game.

Shrader added his second field goal of the game to make it 20-13 to the Colts midway through the third quarter, a scoreline that held as the game moved into the fourth quarter.

Washington actually looked to have found the end zone two and a half minutes before the start of the fourth quarter through a Kaliakmanis throw that Antonio Williams took for 87 yards, with the rookie receiver breaking out of a tackle on their own 30-yard line.

Instead of giving Stevens a chance to tie the game via an extra point, though, they were forced to punt two plays later as the touchdown was brought back for an illegal shift before the snap.

Indianapolis extended their lead to 14 points with 11 and a half minutes to go after Jones ended a nine-play drive with his legs, scoring a four-yard rushing touchdown on their eighth run of the series.

Shrader put the cherry on top of an excellent win for the Colts by smashing a 44-yard field goal through the uprights to score the final three points of the game, taking his tally to 12.

NFL action returns next Sunday (11 October), when the Philadelphia Eagles will visit N17 for the first time to face the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are 2-1 across their four games at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.