Mariota, Taylor Headline Commanders-Colts London Matchup — SkimNews
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Commanders and Colts meet at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday (9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network) to open the NFL International Series, with both teams at 1-2 and coming off their first wins of the season.
- Marcus Mariota starts again for Washington as Jayden Daniels, recovering from a Week 2 dislocated elbow, was a limited practice participant wearing a brace; Daniels has not been placed on injured reserve.
- Jonathan Taylor rushed 32 times for 244 yards and 3 touchdowns the last time the Colts played overseas (an OT win over Atlanta in November), and the article picks him for two more scores Sunday.
- Indianapolis's receiving corps takes another hit with Keenan Allen ruled out (groin) and Alec Pierce already on injured reserve (ankle), though Josh Downs has stepped up with 12 catches for 149 yards over the past two weeks.
- Both defenses rank among the league's worst — Indianapolis is last in total defense (417.3 ypg) and third-worst in scoring defense (30.3 ppg), while Washington allows 30.7 ppg (second-worst) and a league-high 11 passing touchdowns.
- The line moved from Colts -3.5 to Colts -4.5, snapping a seven-game streak as underdogs for Indianapolis; the predicted final is Colts 27-21.
Why it matters: Washington's near-term ceiling depends on how quickly Daniels returns, and Mariota quietly giving the Commanders a winning floor (more wins than Daniels over the last nine starts) changes the team's playoff math in a weak NFC. Indianapolis, meanwhile, will lean even harder on Taylor against a Washington secondary allowing the most passing touchdowns in the NFL, a matchup the spread of just 4.5 barely reflects given two bottom-five scoring defenses.
Ask SkimNews
