LONDON – The Colts' 30-13 win over the Washington Commanders ultimately was the sort of result you'd expect against an undermanned and undisciplined opponent, even if things were rocky to begin the game.
Washington was left to play third-string quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis after backup Marcus Mariota exited Sunday's game at Tottenham Stadium with a knee injury. Mariota started the game in place of the injured Jayden Daniels, who was out in Week 4 with an elbow injury.
The Commanders, too, were penalized 10 times against just one flag thrown on the Colts.
The Colts held a 10-6 lead at halftime despite averaging 3.4 yards per play and committing two turnovers, with a Jonathan Taylor five-yard rushing touchdown the lone time either team found the end zone in the first 30 minutes. Taylor was only able to have that opportunity to score because of an unnecessary roughness flag on Commanders cornerback Amik Robertson, who shoved tight end Tyler Warren after the whistle on a third-and-14 short completion to wide receiver Josh Downs.
Taylor's touchdown was his fifth outside the United States, the most in international games in NFL history. And he wasn't done there.
Kicker Spencer Shrader later blasted home a 47-yard field goal at the end of the first half.
After Kaliakmanis, a 2026 seventh-round pick, tagged in for Mariota, the Colts' defense clamped down, forcing three punts and a turnover on downs on the rookie's first four drives.
Linebacker Jaylon Carlies picked off Kaliakmanis on a third-and-17 throw to open the second half, and a Daniel Jones strike to wide receiver Laquon Treadwell set up Taylor's second five-yard touchdown of the game. It was Carlies' first interception of his career.
Washington responded with a pair of first downs setting up Kaliakmanis' 47-yard heave to wide receiver Treylon Burks for a touchdown, which brought the Commanders back within four points.
Shrader connected on a 52-yard field goal midway through the third quarter to bump the Colts' lead back up to seven.
The Colts then doubled their lead with Taylor taking over on a 51-yard drive. The NFL's all-time leader in international rushing yards chewed up 40 yards on the ground before Jones kept a zone read and dashed into the end zone for a four-yard touchdown.
Defensive end Laiatu Latu blew up a fourth-and-one play with disciplined pressure on Kaliakmanis, forcing a throwaway and giving the ball back to the Colts on the Commanders' 46-yard line midway through the fourth quarter.
The Colts converted that short field into a 44-yard Shrader field goal, ballooning their lead to 30-13 with just under six minutes left.
With Sunday's win in London, the Colts have now won three consecutive international games: in Frankfurt (2023), Berlin (2025) and London (2026). More importantly, the victory pushed the Colts back to .500 as the first quarter of the 2026 season came to a close.
