Keenan Allen won’t be part of the Colts’ trip to London, and that leaves Indianapolis with a thinner margin for error at wide receiver heading into Sunday’s matchup with the Washington Commanders.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Allen is out for the Week 4 game after dealing with a groin injury. The 34-year-old has still been a major piece for Indianapolis in his 14th NFL season, but he won’t be available when the Colts play overseas.
That absence matters even more because the Colts are already short-handed at the position. Alec Pierce is on IR after the team put him there last month because of a heel injury, the same issue that had already been bothering him before the season began.
So the load shifts elsewhere for Daniel Jones. Indianapolis will need more from its passing options around him, while Jonathan Taylor is likely to see a heavy workload on the ground.
The good news for the Colts is that they do have other young targets to lean on. Josh Downs and Tyler Warren are both players the team has invested in, with Downs taken in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft and Warren selected in the first round of the 2025 draft.
Warren has already scored two receiving touchdowns this season, while Downs leads Indianapolis with 186 yards.
The Colts and Commanders kick off Sunday at 9:30 a.m. ET on NFL Network. The game will be played at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, home of Premier League club Tottenham.
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 🡒]