The Indianapolis Colts found their rhythm on Sunday morning in London, overcoming an early deficit to cruise to a 30-13 victory over the Washington Commanders at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
A sluggish start featured a fumble on the second snap from scrimmage and an interception from quarterback Daniel Jones. Commander linebacker Odafe Oweh rushed left tackle Bernhard Raimann as Jones retreated, forcing a fumble that Oweh recovered near the red zone. Washington capitalized on a pair of chip shots from kicker Drew Stevens to take a 6-0 lead midway through the opening frame.
Indy’s offense started to settle down in the second quarter when Jones connected with Tyler Warren for a 12-yard gain on third down to get past midfield. After an unnecessary roughness penalty extended the drive, Jones forced running back Jonathan Taylor to go after his blockers and bounce left for a 5-yard touchdown run to give the Colts their first lead, which they never relinquished. The international star tailback led the Colts with a game-high 95 rushing yards on 20 carries and scored two touchdowns, becoming the NFL’s all-time leading rusher in International Series games.
The Colts carried that momentum into the final two-minute drive to close out the first half. Jones connected with Warren and Ashton Dulin to move the offense into opponent’s territory before kicker Spencer Shrader drilled a 48-yard field goal as time expired that gave Indianapolis a 10-6 halftime lead.
The Colts defense ended the Commanders first drive of the second half with a takeaway. After forcing Washington on third-and-17, linebacker Jaylon Carlies tipped a run from emergency third-string quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis and came down with his first career interception at the Washington 27-yard line. Taylor made the Commanders pay, capping the ensuing drive with his second 5-yard touchdown run to extend Indianapolis’ lead to 17-6. His 408 rushing yards on 75 carries and six touchdowns in International Series games are also the most in league history.
Washington answered with an explosive play as Kaliakmanis found Treylon Burks wide open for a 47-yard touchdown to cut the deficit to 17-13. The Colts’ defense gave up some huge gains, but held on to the pass rush as cornerback Justin Walley recorded his first career sack, while Laiatu Latu and Adetomiwa Adebawore combined for another sack.
Shrader drilled a 52-yard field goal to restore a seven-point cushion before the Colts took control in the fourth quarter, then sealed the victory with a 44-yarder midway through the fourth. Indianapolis leaned on Taylor and a punishing ground game to maintain long drives into the red zone. Jones mastered the run-pass-option and kept it going in the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown run, pushing the lead to two possessions.
Jones finished 19-of-34 for 143 passing yards, but threw an interception and lost a fumble. Indianapolis (2-2) now turns its attention to Pittsburgh, where the Colts will visit the Steelers (2-2) next Sunday at 1 pm in a Week 5 matchup.