Jonathan Taylor powers Colts past Commanders in London

Taylor turns the field

Jonathan Taylor’s second 5-yard touchdown run gave the Indianapolis Colts the kind of control they had spent the first half seeking, and they never gave it back. Indianapolis beat the Washington Commanders 30-13 Sunday, October 4, at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, using Taylor’s two touchdowns and a defense that repeatedly ended Washington possessions before they could become a real chase.

The Colts trailed 6-0 after one quarter, a start shaped by an immediate mistake. Daniel Jones lost a fumble on Indianapolis’ first play, giving Washington possession at the opponent’s 21, and the Commanders converted that field position into a 31-yard field goal. The swing moved Washington’s win probability from 42.7% to 53.9%.

Washington added a 29-yard field goal after a drive that included Marcus Mariota’s 35-yard run, but its early edge did not last. Indianapolis got the ball at Washington’s 46 after a turnover on downs in the second quarter, then traveled 46 yards in nine plays over 5:07. Taylor finished it from 5 yards out for a 7-6 lead with 3:23 left in the half.

The Colts find their ground game

The Colts added a 48-yard field goal as the second-quarter clock expired, then made their first possession after halftime decisive. Athan Kaliakmanis threw an interception on a three-play series that lost 7 yards, handing Indianapolis the ball at Washington’s 20. Four plays and 1:24 later, Taylor again ran in from 5 yards out, making it 17-6.

That sequence captured the game’s central statistical divide. EPA per play measures how much a play changes a team’s expected points, and Indianapolis got 0.25 EPA per rush while Washington posted minus-0.32 EPA per rush. The Colts did not need a big passing day from Jones, who threw for 143 yards and an interception; they had an offense that could keep finding productive runs when the field shortened.

Taylor carried 20 times for 95 yards, and his work kept Indianapolis from depending on a passing game that produced minus-0.32 EPA per play. Laquon Treadwell led the Colts with five catches for 42 yards, but the offense’s cleanest answers came on the ground. Jones added the clinching rushing touchdown, a 4-yard run that completed a nine-play, 52-yard march spanning the third and fourth quarters.

Washington’s answer fades

Washington briefly made the result uncertain with its sharpest strike of the afternoon. Kaliakmanis hit a receiver for a 47-yard touchdown with 10:39 remaining in the third quarter, cutting the score to 17-13. It was the biggest win-probability swing of the game: Indianapolis fell from 81.7% to 69.5%.

The Colts answered not with another explosive play but with the steadiness Washington could not sustain. A seven-play, 32-yard possession ended in a 52-yard field goal and restored a 20-13 cushion. After Jones’ touchdown made it 27-13, Washington went for it on fourth down twice in the fourth quarter and was stopped both times; Indianapolis followed the first stop with a 44-yard field goal for the final score.

Kaliakmanis threw for 186 yards with one touchdown and one interception, while Dyami Brown had three catches for 65 yards, including a 48-yard reception that put the Colts’ defense under pressure. But Washington’s 332 combined passing and rushing yards did not translate into enough efficient snaps. Success rate is the share of plays with positive EPA, and the Commanders were at 32% against Indianapolis’ 47%, a gap reflected in two field goals, two fourth-down failures and too few sustained scoring chances.

Next up

Indianapolis leaves London at 2-2 and visits the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, October 11. Washington falls to 1-3 and returns home to face the New York Giants on Sunday, October 11.