The Colts head to London on Sunday with a clear assignment in front of them: Daniel Jones has to be sharp, aggressive and careful all at once if Indianapolis wants to handle the Washington Commanders in Week 4.
Both teams are 1-2, and both are coming off upset wins over teams that were supposed to be heavy hitters. Indianapolis finally broke through with a tight home win in Week 3 after opening the season with a blowout loss and then a narrow overtime defeat. The climb has been steady, even if the results have been uneven.
Jones has been at the center of that uneven start. Through three games, he has already put five turnovers on the board, including two lost fumbles and an interception against the Texans.
That game nearly slipped away late, though he steadied himself and helped close it out with a win. Still, that kind of margin for error is a dangerous way to live against a defense that brings pressure the way Washington does.
The Commanders are built to make a quarterback uncomfortable. They rank in the top three in blitz rate this season at over 40%, and that aggression isn’t limited to obvious passing situations. Defensive coordinator Daronte Jones also likes to attack early downs, using elite athletes to squeeze running lanes and force offenses into tougher spots.
That approach has worked. Washington has been one of the league’s better run defenses, sitting sixth in Expected Points Added (EPA) per rush against and allowing just 3.84 yards per carry. Rookie Sonny Styles has started to look like a true superstar, and the Commanders gave Jadarian Price and the Seahawks’ ground game a rough afternoon on Sunday.
That doesn’t mean Jonathan Taylor is headed for a quiet day, but it does suggest he may have to earn everything he gets. The safer bet is that Indianapolis will need Jones to shoulder more of the load.
There is a path for that to happen. Washington has been shaky against the pass, ranking 26th in EPA per pass against, 28th in yards per attempt allowed and 30th in pass success rate allowed through three games. The secondary gets thinner too, with former Colts safety Nick Cross out for this game.
Jones has shown the kind of downfield aggression Indianapolis wants, even with the turnover issues. Last week, 19.5% of his total dropbacks produced a 15-plus-yard gain for the offense, a sharp jump from the first two weeks, when just 7.2% of those plays reached that distance. The challenge now is keeping that edge without handing the ball away.
That’s the balancing act in London. The Commanders want to blitz, stop the run and force mistakes.
The Colts need Jones to answer that pressure with the kind of command and efficiency that can turn an aggressive defense against itself. For Indianapolis, Week 4 looks like a test of whether QB1 can clean up the mistakes and still hit the gas.
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Colts London Matchup Suddenly Centers On Washingtons Biggest Week 4 Decision
The Commanders trip to London has quickly turned into more than just another international showcase, with the buildup to Sundays game against the Colts now shaped by the health of Jayden Daniels and a few other key names on Washingtons injury report. The team listed several players as non-participants or limited in practice, and the early arrival in London was part of a broader plan to settle in before a game that now carries a little extra uncertainty.
Dan Quinn has been careful not to rush Daniels back, stressing caution as Washington weighs its biggest Week 4 decision. Daniels, for his part, has made it clear he wants to play, but his mobility remains part of the conversation as the Commanders try to balance urgency with the long view. For Indianapolis, the matchup suddenly looks less like a straightforward overseas test and more like a game that could hinge on how Washington handles its quarterback situation. [Read more 🡒]
Colts Avoid One Problem Sunday But Still Face A Real Threat
The Colts got one piece of good news heading into Sundays matchup with Washington, as Jayden Daniels has been ruled out with a left elbow injury. Marcus Mariota is expected to make the start in his place, and he has already shown he can keep an offense moving after working effectively against Seattle. Even with the change under center, Indianapolis is still being looked at as the favorite in Week 4.
Still, a quarterback switch does not automatically make the Commanders an easy draw. Mariota brings a different kind of challenge, one that can alter the feel of the game in a hurry if the Colts are not sharp early. For Indianapolis, the bigger issue may be less about who is starting for Washington and more about making sure a favorable setup does not turn into a tense afternoon. [Read more 🡒]