Athan Kaliakmanis did not get eased into NFL life. He got thrown straight into it.
The rookie quarterback entered the Washington Commanders’ Week 4 game in London against the Indianapolis Colts after Marcus Mariota went down with a knee injury in the first quarter. Jayden Daniels was already unavailable after dislocating his elbow in Week 2, which left Kaliakmanis - a seventh-round pick who had opened his rookie year as the third-string quarterback - suddenly running the offense.
And almost immediately, he got the full rookie treatment.
Shortly after taking over, Kaliakmanis was drilled by Colts defensive lineman DeForest Buckner, the 6ft 7in, 300lb force who hit him in the midsection as he let the ball go and sent him crashing to the turf. Buckner avoided a flag for unnecessary roughness, and the moment served as a sharp reminder of what the league looks like when a young quarterback is exposed to a front line that can overwhelm protection.
It was only the start of a rough afternoon for Washington up front. The Commanders’ offensive line struggled to handle the Colts’ pass rush, and the first half turned into a defensive grind on both sides.
Kaliakmanis kept getting back up after taking several big hits, and by halftime he was 6-for-12 for 33 yards. Indianapolis led 10-6 on Jonathan Taylor’s touchdown.
When the teams came back out, head coach Dan Quinn said Mariota was ruled out and said there was “confidence in AK,” while also calling for “complementary football” the rest of the way. Kaliakmanis then threw an interception on Washington’s first possession of the second half, but he answered later by connecting with Treylon Burks for a 47-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
Quinn also pushed back on the idea of bringing in another veteran quarterback after Daniels’ injury. “It's not something that [General Manager Adam Peters] AP and I have discussed today as we're going,” Quinn said. “So, I think we're gonna wait until we get all the info over the next two days and really have a sense for the timelines and that kind of stuff.
“I thought, like most things, man, let's take all the time we can to get it just right. But in the meantime, Marcus will start this weekend.”
With Mariota and Daniels both unavailable, backup tight end Colson Yankoff - a former four-star recruit as a high school quarterback - was the next man up for the Commanders.
Kaliakmanis, though, had already been preparing for exactly this kind of moment. After Daniels got hurt, he said he was ready to be called on at any time.
“You just never know. You never know what's going to happen; you never know when it's going to be your time,” Kaliakmanis told reporters. “So I'm just preparing like I am the starter.
“I'm preparing like I am the starter, so when I am, or if I am one day, if I get that opportunity, then I don't have to do anything different; I can just go with my routine now.”
That approach echoed what he said during training camp while fighting to make the roster. The two-year Rutgers starter described his mindset this way: “Just constantly getting better, striving towards perfection, even though it's not attainable.
“I think it just goes into your preparation. Having confidence in your preparation, knowing that I don't need to be a superhero today.
I just need to trust the game plan. I need to trust my teammates and go out there and execute.”
In Other News...
Commanders Got Pulled Into Jason Kelces Latest On-Air Awkward Moment
Jason Kelce found himself in another clumsy on-air moment during the NFL International Series game between the Commanders and the Colts, when he slipped and used Washingtons former team name. Dave Pasch quickly corrected him on the broadcast, keeping the moment from lingering too long, but it was the kind of live-TV stumble that instantly stands out when the whole audience catches it in real time.
Kelce has already had a few of these awkward broadcast miscues lately, including a separate slip on Monday Night Football when he referred to the Eagles as "we." For Washington fans, it was another reminder that even in a game with an overseas spotlight, the conversation can drift away from the action on the field and into the broadcast booth. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders London Game Suddenly Feels Very Different Before Colts Matchup
The Commanders trip to London just picked up a different kind of weight. What was already an unusual early kickoff against the Colts on Oct. 4 now has a new quarterback storyline attached to it, with Jayden Daniels sidelined and Marcus Mariota set to make the start. Washington is also carrying a mixed injury picture into the game, with Sam Cosmi and Nick Cross ruled out while Frankie Luvu and Chig Okonkwo are back in the fold.
For a team trying to keep its footing on an international stage, the ripple effects are hard to ignore. A morning kickoff alone can alter the feel of a game, but losing Daniels changes the way Washington will have to approach everything from protection to tempo against Indianapolis, even as a few injured pieces return to help stabilize the roster. The matchup still has plenty of intrigue, but it now looks like a very different kind of test for the Commanders. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Now Face A Brutal Problem Heading Into Division Games
The Commanders left London not just with a loss to the Colts, but with a deeper sense of urgency heading into the division stretch. Playing with third-string quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis after injuries sidelined Jayden Daniels and Marcus Mariota, Washington was already operating under difficult conditions before Indianapolis pulled away for a 30-13 win. Jonathan Taylor powered the Colts with two rushing touchdowns, and Daniel Jones added another on the ground even while his passing day never quite got going.
For Washington, the bigger concern is how thin the offense looked by the end of the trip. Wide receiver Jaylin Lane also exited with an ankle injury, adding another health issue to a unit that is suddenly scrambling for answers. With division games up next, the Commanders are facing a stretch where every missing piece matters, and the margin for error already looks painfully small. [Read more 🡒]