LONDON – Cam Bynum knows how to handle two challenges ahead for the Colts this weekend.
First was a seven-hour flight, with the Colts landing in England Friday morning. That part's easy – Bynum is used to 14-hour plane rides to and from the Philippines in the offseason. Sleeping on a plan is not a problem for him.
"This is a little nap," Bynum said.
The second, and more pressing, challenge has been spending the week preparing for a Washington Commanders offense without knowing if starter Jayden Daniels or backup Marcus Mariota will be behind center on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. As it turns out – and maybe as expected – the Commanders ruled out Daniels on Friday, meaning it'll be Mariota behind center on Sunday.
Complicating matters is the newness of Washington's offense under 31-year-old first-time offensive coordinator David Blough, which is coming off a 33-point showing against the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks in a Week 3 win.
"Just prepare for the whole offense, prepare for the coordinator," Bynum said. "... Take care of everybody else and not worry so much about the quarterback and knowing what the offense is trying to accomplish when they're out on the field. That's the best way to prepare when you don't know who's going to play."
The Colts' defense made significant strides in their 19-17 win over the Houston Texans in terms of pre-snap communication and tackling, with Pro Football Focus tagging the Colts with just four missed tackles in Week 3. Those remain an emphasis and didn't change as the Colts prepared this week without knowing who'd be playing quarterback for the Commanders.
"We have to continue to prove it each and every week, who we are as a defense," defensive tackle DeForest Buckner said. "And last week was great improvement."
For Colts cornerbacks Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward Sr., too, it didn't matter who would be throwing the ball to two receivers in Terry McLaurin and Stefon Diggs who've combined for over 18,000 yards and 100 total touchdowns in their respective careers.
"They've got two great receivers," Ward said. "Two great corners. So, we'll see how we match up this game."
Sunday's game will be the Colts' third international game in four seasons, with Shane Steichen's team previously earning victories in Frankfurt (2023) and Berlin (2025). Steichen and the Colts' football operations team have a good process in place for keeping players as focused and refreshed as possible on these long trips.
"We're trying to stay on schedule as much as we possibly can," Steichen said. "We've gone overseas three of the last four years, and doing the Thursday night trip has been well for us to try to maintain us on this east coast time as much as we possibly can."
