5 Winners, 2 Losers From Colts' Week 4 Win Against Commanders: A Tale of Two Corners

The Indianapolis Colts evened up their 2026 season record to 2-2 after beating the Washington Commanders 30-13 in London.

Scoring 30 points and getting the job done against a depleted Commanders' offense deserves praise, but the Colts did this in spite of a couple of negative standout performances.

So, who were the Indianapolis Colts' biggest winners and losers from their international victory over the Washington Commanders? We break it down below.

Winners

Jonathan Taylor

The Colts' star running back showed today why he not only deserves as many touches as possible, but why the offense needs to lean on him.

Jonathan Taylor rushed for two of the Colts' three touchdowns against Washington, with his 95 rushing yards on 20 carries (4.8 ypc) paving the way.

The Colts were scoring at such an efficient rate last season because they had a healthy offense that complemented itself well, but that has not been the case so far this season. Head coach Shane Steichen's offense has become rather one-dimensional through four weeks in 2026, and that lone threat comes from the legs of Jonathan Taylor.

Jaylon Carlies

The Colts' veteran linebacker infamously recorded zero stats in the season opener, but he's slowly but surely found his footing in the three games since.

Against the Washington Commanders, Carlies had just two tackles, but he also notched the Colts' first interception of the regular season.

Carlies still has work to do before he can be trusted to lead the Colts' defense from the middle of the field, particularly in run defense, but this development is still worth praising.

Laquon Treadwell

Laquon Treadwell is a former first-round pick who fell out of favor with the entirety of the NFL for the past several years, but his determination carved out a special teams role with the Colts and has evolved into earning serious playing time in head coach Shane Steichen's offense.

Shane Steichen and starting quarterback Daniel Jones have become comfortable throwing to the longtime veteran wideout, and it's slowly but surely making sense why.

Against the Commanders, Treadwell was the Colts' leading receiver, as he hauled in four of his five targets for 52 receiving yards.

The Colts' were without Alec Pierce (heel) and Keenan Allen (groin) against Washington, but that doesn't diminish what Treadwell was able to achieve in relief.

Charvarius Ward Sr.

The starting cornerback had arguably his best game as a Colt against the Washington Commanders.

Charvarius Ward Sr., who aligned at left cornerback for 57 snaps, allowed two receptions for 13 yards on seven targets in coverage with three passes broken up, according to Next Gen Stats.

Ward Sr.'s availability and impact has been in question since he vowed to return to the gridiron after contemplating retirement due to his three concussions in 2025, but he's been a strong performer through four weeks so far.

Spencer Shrader

Another week, more Spencer Shrader praise.

The Colts' kicker remains perfect on field goals in 2026 after going 3-for-3 on attempts against the Commanders. He three makes in question were from 44, 48, and 52 yards respectively.

There were questions surrounding his overall return to form from his torn ACL in 2025, especially after he struggled during the summer to prove he could fully rebound, but Shrader has since shed all concerns through four games in 2026.

Losers

Daniel Jones

The Colts' starting quarterback has become turnover-prone as of late, and that didn't stop against the Washington Commanders.

In Week 4, Jones went 19-34 (55.9%) for 143 passing yards, one interception, was sacked twice, had one rushing TD, and lost a fumble.

Jones definitely settled in down the stretch after the Colts began feeding running back Jonathan Taylor, but Indianapolis still won in spite of his performance. The Colts are lacking a respectable wide receiver unit and viable pass protection, but Jones still needs to play better.

The Colts aren't asking Jones to be a hero, and although they haven't given him the necessary supporting cast to thrive with, he has to lock in before it's too late.

Sauce Gardner

Everyone knows that the Colts traded away two first-round draft selections for cornerback Sauce Gardner. But has he lived up to expectations?

For the most part, Gardner has been the lockdown CB1 that Indianapolis envisioned when they traded the farm for him, but today's showing against the Commanders saw a new low.

Sauce Gardner allowed 4 receptions for 117 yards and a TD on 5 targets in coverage against the Commanders in Week 4, the most yards allowed in a game by Gardner in his career, according to Next Gen Stats.

The Colts faced a Commanders offense that was down to their final active quarterback, a seventh-round rookie, and entered the game without their top wide receiver in Terry McLaurin available, which only adds to the disappointing showing in question.

It's fair to assume that Gardner will forget this performance and lock back in moving forward, but it's still worth pointing out - especially since his efforts required such a haul at the 2025 trade deadline.

Sign Up For the Colts Daily Digest - OnSI’s Indianapolis Colts Newsletter

Add us as a preferred source on Google