The Washington Commanders may have bigger problems to solve in London than one milestone chase, but Jonathan Taylor is about to put their run defense right on the spot.
The Indianapolis Colts running back needs 78 rushing yards on Sunday to pass Travis Etienne Jr. and become the NFL’s all-time leader in international games. Taylor heads into the matchup with 258 rushing yards on 66 carries through three games, good for 3.9 yards per carry, and he has already found the end zone four times on the ground.
Taylor has already shown he can turn an international stage into a record-setting one. Last season in Berlin against the Atlanta Falcons, he ran for 244 yards and finished with 286 yards from scrimmage, both single-game international records, according to NFL Research.
Washington, though, has given opposing runners very little room to breathe so far. Through three games, the Commanders have allowed just 246 rushing yards, the third-fewest in the NFL. They’re giving up only 82 rushing yards per game, and their 25% run-stuff rate leads the league.
That makes this a real test, even if Taylor hasn’t been piling up huge numbers every week. He still hasn’t topped 100 rushing yards in a game this season, and he’s coming off a season-low 68-yard outing against Houston. But 78 yards is well within reach, which means Washington will have to be sharp if it wants to keep him from another piece of NFL history.
The Commanders probably aren’t spending much time thinking about the record chase itself. Their job is simpler than that: win the game and keep Taylor from controlling it. Still, if they can hold him under 78 yards, they’ll have done more than protect a milestone - they’ll have taken away one of the biggest parts of the Colts’ offense.
Indianapolis could ask even more of Taylor with its receiver room dealing with injuries. That only raises the pressure on Washington’s front seven to make sure Sunday doesn’t become the day Taylor gets his first 100-yard rushing game of the season and another international record to his name.
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 🡒]