Colts 30, Commanders 13: Taylor Does London Again

October 4, 2026 - London - Jonathan Taylor scored from 5 yards and mimed a sip of tea. The Colts were still sloppy. Washington was already on its third quarterback of the month. By the fourth quarter Taylor had another 5-yarder, Daniel Jones had kept one from 4, and Indianapolis was 2-2 in a building that has been good to this back.

The Indianapolis Colts beat the Washington Commanders 30-13 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Kickoff was 9:30 a.m. ET. Washington is 1-3. Jayden Daniels sat with the left elbow he hurt in Dallas. Marcus Mariota started and did not finish.

Two field goals, then the tea

Drew Stevens put Washington up 6-0 with two first-quarter kicks, both from inside 40. Mariota moved the offense on the second drive, then got sacked and walked off with a knee injury. He did not return. Athan Kaliakmanis, the third-stringer, inherited a game the Commanders still led.

Jones was 19 of 34 for 143 yards. He threw a pick. He lost a fumble. He still found the end zone with his legs. Taylor ran 20 times for 95. The Colts averaged 3.9 yards per play, possessed the ball for 30:40, and won by 17 anyway. The club said that combination (win by 17-plus, under 4 yards a play, over 30 minutes of possession) had happened only eight other times in the last 15 seasons.

Taylor's first score came after Amik Robertson was flagged for unnecessary roughness, shoving Tyler Warren after the whistle on a third-and-14 dump to Josh Downs. Five yards later, tea time. Spencer Shrader added a 48-yarder. 10-6 at the half. Indianapolis had two turnovers and 3.4 yards per play before the break. It still led.

Carlies, Taylor, Jones, and a 52-yarder

Jaylon Carlies intercepted Kaliakmanis on third-and-17 to open the second half. Jones hit Laquon Treadwell. Taylor scored from 5 again. The Colts said those two rushing scores gave Taylor six touchdowns across three international games (Frankfurt 2023, Berlin 2025, London 2026), the most by any NFL player abroad. He also owns the international rushing-yard record.

Kaliakmanis answered. Fifteen of 33, 186 yards, one pick, and his first NFL touchdown: 47 yards to Treylon Burks. 17-13. That was Washington's last real punch. Shrader from 52. Jones kept the zone read from 4 after Taylor chewed 40 yards on a 51-yard drive. Shrader from 44. 30-13.

Seth McGowan added six carries for 31. Treadwell caught five for 42. Warren had five for 41. Ashton Dulin had three for 29. Josh Downs drew the flag that set up the first Taylor score. Keenan Allen was inactive (groin). Bernhard Raimann left in the third. Jones's two turnovers kept the first half close. The run game closed it.

The Colts did not light up Tottenham. They just refused to give the ball back. Shane Steichen's club was 2-2 because Taylor still finishes 5-yard runs in another country and because Shrader made 48, 52, and 44 on a morning kickoff. Washington's defense, the unit that had stuffed Indianapolis at times, could not cover for a third quarterback in four weeks.

Stefon Diggs caught five for 35. Dyami Brown had three for 65. Austin Ekeler ran four times for 29. Jacory Croskey-Merritt had nine for 15. Rasul Douglas intercepted Jones and led the individual board on a day the Commanders' offense never got a second half. Odafe Oweh had a sack, a forced fumble, and a recovery. It did not change the score.

Washington also lost Jaylin Lane (concussion evaluation), Charles Omenihu (groin), and Tyler Owens (hamstring), per the AP. The Colts have now won three straight international games. They visit Pittsburgh next. The Commanders host the Giants. Daniels is still the plan. Mariota is now in the same sentence as the elbow, not the solution.

London has been a Taylor venue. Two scores, a tea pantomime, and 95 yards on a day Jones threw for 143. That is how you go 2-2 without a fireworks passing night. Kaliakmanis' 47-yarder to Burks was the Commanders' best throw. It was also the last time the scoreboard moved for them.

AthX Engine on a 3.9-yard win

AthX Engine NFL scoring already has the Week 4 lines in. Douglas' interception is 49.00, the top total in this game. Taylor is 36.75. Shrader's three field goals (48, 52, 44) and three extras are 35.00. Carlies is 25.50. Kaliakmanis is 22.88. Indianapolis' team line is 86.75.

Fantasy points measure the box. Price is what traders will pay for Taylor in a third overseas win, and for a Washington quarterback room that just lost another starter. They move together. They are not the same number.

Track Taylor, Daniels, Mariota, Shrader, and both clubs on the marketplace. Indianapolis visits Pittsburgh on Oct. 11. The Giants visit Washington that afternoon.

*Sources: Colts.com, Colts second wrap, AP recap (CBS), ESPN recap. Passing yards for Jones are from nflverse (143); the AP recap listed 134. AthX Engine Week 4 lines scored from nflverse weekly stats (CC-BY 4.0). Information only; not financial advice.*