The Good, the Bad & the Ugly from the Colts’ Victory in London

The Indianapolis Colts improved to 2-2 on Sunday with a 30-17 win over the Washington Commanders.

The Colts controlled much of the second half and pulled away late, but initially struggled to get going; the final score doesn't tell the whole story. There were plenty of positives to take from Indianapolis' performance, along with some glaring issues that could become bigger problems down the road.

So, what was the good, the bad, and the ugly from the Colts' victory in London?

The Good

Interior Pass Rush

Colts DTs — Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle Grover Stewart (90) walks off the field with Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle Adetomiwa Adebawore (95) on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, during the game against the Baltimore Ravens at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

It didn't matter who Washington had in the game at quarterback, the Colts' interior defensive line was relentless.

DeForest Buckner was back to his usual self, finishing with a tackle for loss, batted pass and three QB hits. Adetomiwa Adebawore logged a half-sack, and Grover Stewart added a pair of TFLs. Their dominance on the interior opened things up on the edge. Laiatu Latu shared the sack with Adebawore and Jaylahn Tuimoloau had a handful of impressive rushes himself.

A collective effort up front, and a performance Indianapolis will absolutely take from their defensive front.

Spencer Shrader

Spencer Shrader was absolute nails for the second week in a row. The 27-year-old made all six of his kicks, including a trio of field goals, all from distance.

Shrader's first field goal try was good from 48 yards as time expired in the first half, giving the Colts a 10-6 lead at the break. The next two came from 52 and 44 yards, respectively, giving Indianapolis nine points from outside the red zone.

More importantly, Shrader continues to prove his worth over the long term. If he keeps this up, the Colts may have found their kicker for the next several seasons.

Team Discipline

Oct 4, 2026; Tottenham, ENG; Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen walks on the sideline during the fourth quarter of their game against the Washington Commanders at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Colts were flagged just once all afternoon, a five-yard penalty in the fourth quarter. For contrast, Washington was penalized 10 times for 84 yards, including a 87-yard touchdown that was called back.

In a game where the Colts' offense wasn't exactly humming, the fact they stayed out of their own way was a big reason for their later success. Indianapolis, outside of Daniel Jones' turnover issues, generally avoided the kind of mistakes that can decide a close game.

It’s also the second consecutive week for Indianapolis with one or fewer penalties, a significant improvement after committing five in each of their first two. Maintaining such a high level of discipline the remainder of the season will be a steep challenge, but as long as the Colts don’t become penalty-prone, they should find themselves being competitive week in and week out.

The Bad

Sauce Gardner

The usually trusty and reliable Sauce Gardner had one the worst individual performances of his career on Sunday. On five targets, Gardner allowed four catches for 117 yards and a touchdown, the most yards he’s allowed in a game, per Next Gen Stats.

Treylon Burks broke away from Gardner’s coverage with a nifty double move and beat safety AJ Haulcy to the football for the 47-yard touchdown. Gardner also had the lone Colts penalty of the game, a defensive holding which gifted Washington a first down.

Gardner has built a reputation as an x-factor in the secondary who can completely erase one side of the field on his own, but the Commanders got the better of him on Sunday. The silver lining for the Colts is that, if history is indicative of anything, Gardner is highly unlikely to get beat this badly again.

But until he does bounce back, the pressure to produce is on.

Pass Protection

Colts OL — Oct 4, 2026; Tottenham, ENG; Washington Commanders defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw (99) tackles Indianapolis Colts quarterback Daniel Jones (17) during the third quarter at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For an offensive line that’s been dominant in the early part of the season, Sunday’s performance in London is one Indianapolis would like to have back. The unit had their hands full against a talented defensive front, particularly in pass protection.

Daniel Jones rarely had enough time to stand in the pocket and progress through his reads and was sacked twice. Even if Washington couldn’t get home for the sack, they still created chaos.

On just the second play from scrimmage, Odafe Oweh bull-rushed left tackle Bernhard Raimann straight back into Jones, causing a fumble. They also recorded 6 QB hits as a defense.

Whether Indianapolis ran into a worthy opponent or simply weren’t on their game remains unknown, but it was an out of character performance for a typically strong group.

Third Down Efficiency

Offensive third downs were an area of significant difficulty for the Colts offense, converting just five of their 16 opportunities for first downs.

Jones was frustratingly content to take checkdowns and make throws in front of the line to gain. That’s partially due to having a banged up receiver room, but also a result of Jones’ own decision making.

Between Tyler Warren and Josh Downs, two of Indy’s best receiving options on third downs, the two moved the sticks just once. Jones did try to get both involved, particularly Downs, but couldn’t seem to push the right buttons throughout the game.

That restrained aggression from Jones made life difficult for the Colts offense. Indianapolis had opportunities to keep drives alive, but too often settled for short gains and put itself in difficult situations on the next play. Against a Washington defense that was hardly dominant, converting just five of 16 third downs simply wasn't good enough.

The Ugly

Daniel Jones

The Daniel Jones that showed up in London was not the same Daniel Jones the Colts saw in 2025. Instead, Indianapolis got a performance closer to the Giants version of Jones than the player they envisioned he’d become when agreeing to a two-year, $88 million contract this offseason.

Jones finished 19-of-34 for 143 yards, threw an interception and lost a fumble, repeatedly putting the Colts in difficult situations throughout the afternoon. The interception came as Jones threw off his back foot attempting to salvage a lost play, but wound up in the hands of Rasul Douglas, a play eerily similar to the interception Jones threw last week against Houston.

Jones clearly isn’t all the way back to the player that helped guide Indianapolis to an NFL-best 8-2 start a season ago, and with two consecutive underwhelming performances, he has a long way to go to get back to that level.

The Slow Start

One of the pillars of Shane Steichen’s offensive approach the last two seasons has been getting off to a fast start, getting points on the board early to help dictate and control the remainder of the game.

Sunday’s opening drive was the polar opposite of a fast start.

The Colts turned the ball over on just the second play from scrimmage when Daniel Jones stumbled over his own left tackle. Their next five drive outcomes? Four punts and an interception.

It took until 3:23 to go in the first half for Indianapolis to get on the board through a Jonathan Taylor touchdown run. Clearly, not the efficient and urgent offensive approach that Steichen drew up. The Colts eventually found their footing, but they spent much of the first half playing catch up.

The Passing Game

Everything about the Colts’ passing game was out of sorts. The offensive line was truly tested. Daniel Jones was uber-inefficient, but it wasn’t all his fault. He was without some key receivers who could’ve helped unlock the air attack.

The Colts were shorthanded at wide receiver, as both Keenan Allen and Darius Slayton were inactive on Sunday. That forced Jones to make more quick throws instead of pushing the ball down the field. Even with speedy options like Deion Burks and Ashton Dulin available, Indianapolis shied away from being aggressive.

As a result, the offense was consistently behind schedule and in lengthy goal-to-go situations. Indianapolis just couldn't generate enough through the air to keep the offense moving, putting even more pressure on the defense and Jonathan Taylor to carry the load.

Simply put, if this is what the pass game looks like without Alec Pierce, the Colts will be in for a long and frustrating remainder of the season.

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