The Colts are keeping their Europe routine exactly where it’s been before.
When they face the Commanders at Tottenham Stadium on Sunday morning at 9:30 AM eastern time, Indianapolis will again follow the same travel pattern it has used for its previous trips overseas: a normal week of work at the team complex on Wednesday and Thursday, then a flight to the United Kingdom on Thursday night or Friday morning. After that comes a walk-through on Friday, and then it’s game time in London. The Commanders, by contrast, chose to spend the full week across the Atlantic.
That approach fits the Colts’ recent history under Shane Steichen. They won both of their games in Germany, and this time they’re sticking with the setup that’s worked for them before.
Both teams arrive with some momentum after picking up their first wins of the season last week, and both did it by two points. Washington’s victory came with Marcus Mariota starting in place of Jayden Daniels, who missed the game with a left elbow injury. Daniels is expected back at practice this week, but whether he starts remains unsettled after sitting out only one game.
For Indianapolis, the most encouraging development on defense still looks like DeForest Buckner. Coming off neck surgery that had the 32-year-old thinking about retirement this offseason, Buckner has opened the year with 3.0 sacks in three games and has played 81 percent of the team’s defensive snaps.
That’s his highest snap share since his rookie year in 2016. The Colts were cautious with him through training camp, so seeing him log that kind of workload and production is a major lift for a defense that badly needs his disruptive presence.
The bigger issue on offense is still Daniel Jones and the ball security problem. After a start to the season that has included five turnovers - two fumbles and three interceptions - Shane Steichen’s message is simple: “Holding onto the ball,” Jones currently has the 3 rd most turnovers in the NFL this season.
Steichen didn’t label the mistakes as “Achilles rust” or reduce them to decision making alone, but the giveaways have to stop. With the Colts’ offense not explosive enough to survive the occasional turnover, especially without Alec Pierce, this is one area Jones has to clean up as the season goes on.
The defense has its own issue to solve, too: it still hasn’t forced a turnover since Lamar Jackson’s fumble in the second quarter of Week 1. The Colts haven’t even been around enough of the “close” turnover plays, like sacks or passes defensed, to suggest one is coming soon.
If they go three straight games without a takeaway, it would be only the second time that has happened since 2012. Lou Anarumo said the work is ongoing: “We’re doing the same drills we did last year, and every year, and we were pretty good there last year,” Lou Anarumo says of the turnover issues.
“I think just those things come in bunches. You’ll go having a drought and then all of a sudden, they’ll come in bunches and that’s what we’re hoping.
But we’re constantly preaching. We had as many interceptions last week during the week as we’ve had in any practice since we started camp.
Had a chance maybe for one or two on Sunday. It just didn’t work out that way.
We did punch a ball out. We’re close.
We just got to keep it going.”
Sunday also gave the Colts something beyond just a much-needed win. They finally survived an ugly, low-scoring game, which was a point of emphasis for Steichen this offseason.
Entering 2026, the Colts had lost 12 straight under Steichen when scoring 20 or fewer points. That has to change if they’re going to survive the kind of games that tighten up late.
Sunday was one of those. The Texans won four games last season while scoring 20 or fewer, and the Colts needed to prove they can do the same.
Now comes the next test, and it’s not at home. Starting in Week 4, the Colts will play only one home game before November 8. That lone game against the Titans on 10/18 sits between the London trip for the Commanders, a road game in Pittsburgh, and later trips to Minnesota and Jacksonville.
In Other News...
Daniel Jones Is Forcing A Colts Decision Much Earlier Than Expected
Daniel Jones arrived in Indianapolis with the kind of contract that suggested the Colts were ready to give him a real chance to settle in, but the first three games of this season have already put that plan under strain. Turnovers have been the recurring issue, with interceptions and fumbles piling up fast enough to make the early part of the season feel more like an audition than a fresh start.
The Colts built in an escape route when they signed Jones to a two-year deal worth up to $88 million, including a team option to move on after this season. If the miscues keep coming, the organization may have to start weighing a different starting quarterback much sooner than anyone expected, turning what was supposed to be a measured evaluation into a far more urgent decision. [Read more 🡒]
Colts London Game Is Turning Into A Fan Frustration Story
The NFLs London trip is already creating a headache for Colts fans who moved quickly to lock in seats for the matchup with Washington at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. With demand coming in softer than expected, the league has slashed prices on some tickets, and seats that were listed as high as $325 have fallen to about $105, leaving early buyers wondering why they paid so much more.
For Indianapolis followers making the overseas commitment, it turns what should have been a special event into a source of frustration before the game even kicks off. The league still has three London games on the schedule this October, but the pricing shift has raised new questions about how strongly fans are buying into the international series and how much goodwill takes a hit when ticket values move so sharply. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Still Face An Anthony Richardson Decision No Team Has Solved
The Giants quarterback scramble has already taken another turn, with Jaxson Dart now set to miss the rest of the regular season after knee surgery. New York moved to shore up its depth by dealing a 2027 fifth-round pick to the Vikings for J.J. McCarthy, a reminder of how quickly teams can pivot when the position gets unsettled, and how few obvious fixes are actually available once the market tightens.
For the Colts, the bigger picture around Anthony Richardson Sr. still looks unresolved. Richardson asked for a trade earlier this year, but no team has reportedly pushed hard to land him, and Indianapolis remains in the familiar spot of holding a talented backup while weighing a future no one else has been eager to define for them. With the Giants opting in another direction, it is one more sign that the leagues quarterback carousel has spun without offering Indianapolis a clean solution. [Read more 🡒]