The Commanders had plenty go wrong in London, from Marcus Mariota’s injury to 10 costly penalties. But Washington’s defense kept it competitive, while rookie quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis showed plenty of promise. Here are three takeaways from the loss.
The Washington Commanders fell to the Indianapolis Colts, 30-13, in London on Sunday. It was a frustrating day for Washington, with injuries and penalties piling up throughout the game. As the famous saying goes, “when it rains, it pours.”
Quarterback Marcus Mariota left the game with a knee injury midway through the first quarter and did not return. ESPN and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Mariota aggravated his MCL injury and is expected to miss some time.
Still, the Commanders did not lose this game because they lacked the talent to win. Even with the injuries, Washington’s defense kept them in the game, with the Colts holding just a 10-6 lead at halftime.
Ultimately, penalties proved to be too much to overcome. Take those mistakes away, and this football game looks a whole lot different.
Let’s take a look at some of the biggest takeaways from Washington’s trip to London.
1. Penalties Kill the Commanders' Momentum
The Commanders finished the game with ten penalties for 84 yards. While some of the calls may have been questionable, Washington cannot afford to commit that many penalties and expect to win. The Colts, meanwhile, were called for just one penalty for five yards. Regardless of whether the referees missed a few calls on Indianapolis, the Colts did what they needed to do when their opportunities came.
Washington needs to clean up its act when it comes to penalties. The Commanders were flagged eight times in last week’s win over Seattle, meaning they have now committed 18 penalties over their last two games. That is simply unacceptable.
Yes, the officiating can be criticized, and perhaps deservedly so. But Washington cannot rely on the referees to determine the outcome of a game. Last week, the Commanders overcame their mistakes by forcing three turnovers. This week, they could not overcome the same self-inflicted issues.
Penalties have become a problem, and the Commanders need to fix it before it costs them another game.
2. Commanders Defense Might Actually Be Good...For Real
Despite the final score, the Commanders’ defense had a solid performance. Indianapolis’ offense eventually wore Washington’s defense down, but the defense kept the Commanders in the game for most of the afternoon.
For most of the game, the Commanders’ defense had quarterback Daniel Jones under duress. Defensive end Odafe Oweh strip-sacked Jones and recovered the fumble. Linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson and defensive tackle Tim Settle also each recorded half a sack. Cornerback Rasul Douglas had himself a day as well, finishing with an interception, a pass breakup and six tackles. Defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw also came up with two huge pass breakups.
Unfortunately, the defense’s effort was not enough to get the win. But after what we saw today, it feels good to finally have some confidence in the Commanders’ defense.
3. QB Athan Kaliakmanis Shows Plenty of Promise in NFL Debut
Quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis put together an impressive performance against the Colts. He finished the game with 186 passing yards, including a 47-yard touchdown pass. The “Baklava Bomber” also connected with rookie wide receiver Antonio Williams for an 87-yard touchdown, but the play was called back because of an illegal shift penalty. That marked the second straight week Washington had a big play called back for an illegal shift, following a 49-yard run by Jacory Croskey-Merritt last week.
Kaliakmanis was thrown into a difficult situation and handled it with impressive poise. He took plenty of hits, kept getting back up and continued to make plays with his arm throughout the game. The “Greek Rifle” showed plenty of toughness and composure in his NFL debut.
Sunday’s loss was a frustrating one for Washington, but the Commanders cannot afford to dwell on it for too long. There were plenty of mistakes that need to be cleaned up, but there were positives to take away as well. Now, Washington will have to regroup, learn from what went wrong in London and turn its attention to the New York Giants.
