Three Stats that Stick Out in Washington Commanders Loss vs Colts

The Washington Commanders fell short on the road after the Indianapolis Colts secured a deflating finish in London, marking the team's first 1-3 start since 2022. Taking a look at the three numbers that loom large coming out of the week four loss:

1.7: the number of yards per carry by running back Bill Croskey-Merritt, who amassed just 15 yards on nine carries. To be fair, Croskey-Merritt did finish tied with WR Stefon Diggs for third on the team with 35 receiving yards courtesy of his big reception on the offense's second drive. Yet in a game where the top of the running back room was his for the taking given Rachaad White was inactive, Croskey-Merritt left more questions than answers when it comes to his path to becoming a true feature back. Washington saw Austin Ekeler lead the unit with 29 yards on four carries despite signing with the team just days ago.

Offensive coordinator David Blough also drew criticism for turning to Craig Reynolds on a critical fourth down near midfield that the Colts' defense stuffed, a questionable call in the terms of personnel in the backfield and given the offensive line's struggles on Sunday. Whether White is able to return from his shoulder injury in week five is a question for the week of practice to answer, but how much Croskey-Merritt can be viewed as a dependable piece atop the rushing attack leaves room for concern. The former seventh-round pick averaged under two yards per carry for the second consecutive week and hasn't eclipsed four yards per carry since his second 100-yard day against the Cowboys on Christmas Day in 2025. That also marks one of two times that Croskey-Merritt has eclipsed the benchmark over his last seven regular season games.

10: the number of penalties the Commanders were called for, resulting in 84 penalty yards. Yet maybe the Colts' one penalty for five yards is as deserving of a mention given the questionable calls at times, including the referees' decision to pick up a flag for defensive pass interference by the Colts' secondary that would have put Washington inside the ten yard line.

Still, Washington was called for seven penalties in the second half while one of the Colts' 17 first downs came courtesy of a flag. But Washington also had calls against them that took away potential momentum plays.

That includes on defense where a third down unnecessary roughness against Amik Robertson gave Indianapolis life before RB Jonathan Taylor punched in his first touchdown of the day. On offense, two flags -- holding and illegal shift -- negated an 87-yard touchdown by rookie WR Antonio Williams, while an offensive pass interference against Stefon Diggs wiped a 21 yard catch away.

Washington entered the week among the least penalized teams by yards, but the calls in week four provide to be swing plays that the Commanders were unable to overcome.

15.8%: a big reason why Washington wasn't able to overcome penalties was efficiency -- but not only because of the yellow flags, but because of third and fourth down efficiency.

Washington finished 2-for-15 on third down with two failed attempts inside the redzone through the first two drives, leading to Drew Stevens' field goals that looms even larger in hindsight. Yet so does Blough's decision to turn to the passing game on all 15 third down attempts, while the 35 yard completion to Croskey-Merritt served as one of two conversions in the first half. Washington then went the final 46 minutes and 41 seconds without a third down conversion.

Washington's first third down attempt in the second half ended in Athan Kaliakmanis' interception, leading to a Colts' touchdown four plays later and a deflating swing in a toss-up game on the Commander schedule.

Still, the most questionable call of all came with the offense facing a 4th-and-1 at the Washington 46 yard line. Blough turned to Craig Reynolds, who was elevated from the practice squad, to pick up the needed yard before getting stuffed at the line of scrimmage behind a lackluster offensive line. It marked Reynolds' second carry on the drive, but also his final of the game. Whether Reynolds was the right call is another storyline that will be debated ahead of week five, but it also signals' the Commanders' lack of proven piece in the running back room after Mariota's 35 yard run helped the offense register 100 yards on the ground in the loss.