Commanders Lose Mariota To Knee Injury In Loss Against Colts At London (10-4-26)
By: Jaden Golding
Headline Photo Credit: Kourtney Carroll-Washington Commanders
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM — Entering Sunday’s contest, the Washington Commanders had high hopes of returning to .500 with a win over the Indianapolis Colts in London for the NFL’s International matchup series. However, when Marcus Mariota came off the field slowly on Washington’s (1-3) second drive and was ultimately ruled out with a knee injury, things shifted dramatically. Indianapolis (2-2), led by its defense and star running back Jonathan Taylor, guided them to a 30-13 victory at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Let’s dive into the important points in this contest for the Commanders.
Mariota Goes Down
As if the Commanders weren’t already dealing with injuries entering the contest, things got worse when veteran backup QB Marcus Mariota was injured after being sacked on third-and-goal; his leg was bent oddly, and Laiatu Latu fell on it in the first quarter.
Rookie center Matt Gublin made his first career NFL start at right guard in place of veteran Nick Allegretti, who had struggled at center and then right guard last week.
Gublin struggled in protection, getting beat on one-on-ones and handling different blitzes from Indianapolis.
Once 7th-round rookie quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis entered the contest for the injured Mariota, any momentum built from the early 6-0 lead disappeared, and Indy started sending the house aggressively, with the run game nonexistent.
Mariota has re-injured his MCL, which he injured in the preseason against the Miami Dolphins.
Kaliakmanis Impressed Despite The Situation
Athan Kaliakmanis faced a situation no third-string quarterback would want for his first NFL start. No starting No. 1 wideout receiver, starting left tackle, starting right guard, and a rookie right guard. Despite that, Kaliakmanis went 15-of-33 for 186 passing yards, one passing touchdown, an interception, and a 60.9 QB rating.
Not the most noteworthy or eye-popping stat sheet, but Kaliakmanis made numerous throws to try to push the ball downfield, including a 47-yard strike to Treylon Burks in the third quarter. It’s also worth mentioning that fellow rookie Antonio Williams’s 87-yard catch-and-run touchdown was wiped away by a questionable illegal shift and holding call.
The toughness of Kaliakmanis was on display too, standing in the pocket, taking hits, and continuing to come back despite failures to get in rhythm effectively. His confidence was not shaken. Jayden Daniels was on the sideline, talking to Kaliakmanis, coaching him, and encouraging him throughout.
After the game, when speaking to the media, Kaliakmanis had this to say about Daniels’ constant support and presence:
“I think Jayden Daniels is the ultimate leader,” Kaliakmanis stated. “Just coaching me through the entire game- that’s what a true pro looks like to me. He’s a true professional; so are Sam and Marcus. These guys are my legit brothers.”
The Defense Is Growing Weekly
Part of the reason this game wasn’t worse on the scoreboard was the Washington defense. They held Daniel Jones to under 150 passing yards, sacked him twice, threw one interception, forced a fumble, and kept to a sub-55 rating.
Odafe Oweh forced the strip-sack on Jones during Indianapolis’s first drive of the game, which set up good field position for a field goal.
Javon Kinlaw was a force in the interior with two pass deflections and a strong push on running plays; he’s had an excellent start to the season.
Amik Robertson and Rasul Douglas were felt in the secondary, making great open-field tackles and staying tight in coverage, preventing explosive plays. Douglas secured his first interception of the season and was PPF’s top-rated coverage cornerback of the week with a 92.2 grade.
Indy converted only 5-of-16 third-down attempts and punted the ball four times. Taylor scored twice, but both were short-distance runs; he also ran for 95 yards on 20 attempts.
