The Washington Commanders suddenly have a glimmer of hope for the 2026 season. Meanwhile, the Colts and Sauce Gardner are looking for silver linings. These teams will meet in Week 4 of the NFL season, and here are bold predictions for this matchup.
These teams will travel to London to settle the issue. The Commanders will cross the pond with a 1-2 mark after a stunning upset of the Seahawks. As for the Colts, they are 1-2 after their first win. It was a tough 19-17 win over the struggling Texans.
What can we expect?
Commanders QB Marcus Mariota will account for 3 TDs
The Colts have struggled mightily on defense this year. They are the worst in the NFL, allowing 417.3 yards per game. They rank last in pass defense and No. 29 in run defense.
So, part of this prediction is how bad the Colts have been on defense. The other part is that Mariota is more than just a serviceable backup. He’s one of the better backup quarterbacks in the NFL.
Against the Seahawks, he went 19 of 31 for 183 yards and three touchdown passes. On the ground, he carried five times for 11 yards. Included in that yardage was a game-clinching run on third down. Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said it was special, according to Sports Illustrated.
“I thought there was very little chance Marcus was giving that one off,” said Quinn, who gave Mariota a game ball for his performance against the Seahawks. “He has been one of the very best that's ever done it in that space. And so we're all pumped for him. He's a rare teammate, and so that doesn't mean it all goes perfect.
“There was plenty of stuff for us to clean up. We had false starts and procedure issues that we have to get better at. But for him having the ball at the end, that's him and Jay. You're going to put the ball in their hands. As a coach, that's what you think.”
Of course, the Commanders will have to get more done on the ground to win consistently. They managed only 82 yards rushing on 32 attempts. That’s 2.6 yards per carry, and that won’t win a lot of NFL games.
Another thing Mariota did well was spread the ball around. He hit nine different receivers, including Terry McLaurin, Treylon Burks, and Rachaad White for scores.
Look for Mariota to get a couple of passing scores against the Colts while also finding a seam for a rushing score.
Commanders WR Treylon Burks will find the end zone again
This is the epitome of a bold prediction. Burks has just two catches on three targets for the season. He has a total of 13 receiving yards. But if Jayden Daniels hadn’t overthrown him against the Cowboys, he would already have two touchdowns.
Burks has a big body and good speed. When he’s healthy, he can get open. The Commanders aren’t going to pepper him with targets, but that’s why he has a chance to score. The defense won’t be concerned about him. And he’s big enough and strong enough to score.
Burks worked hard this offseason, and his health stayed with him, according to TheBanner.com.
“Honestly, I feel like this was the first offseason where I haven’t had to battle back from an injury,” Burks said. “I’ve never lost confidence in myself. I just want to keep getting better.
“Last year brought the fun back of playing football, for me. (General manager) Adam (Peters) and Dan Quinn made it feel like home.”
Peters said earlier this year that Burks still has untapped potential.
“I think he has another level to go to,” Peters said. “He showed us a lot in practice and in the games when he was able to make some plays there.”
Colts RB Jonathan Taylor will have 100 total yards, 2 TDs
It’s going to be a tough task for the Commanders to contain Taylor. He hasn’t topped the 100-yard mark rushing this year, but had 98 and 92. However, he had 132 and 121 total yards in the first two games before the Texans’ tough defense held him to 72.
The Commanders have been excellent against the run. They’ve allowed only 82 yards per game to rank No. 3 in the NFL. However, this is a different animal against Taylor. And the Colts won’t be afraid to employ Taylor in the passing game against the Commanders, who rank No. 31 in the NFL by allowing 280.3 yards per game through the air.
The Colts know they go as Taylor goes. They will feed him the ball, one way or the other. And look for them to have more running success than they did against the Texans. The Commanders are good versus the run, but they aren’t the Texans.
Colts head coach Shane Steichen won’t get away from Taylor because he knows too much about what he brings, according to a post on X by Jake Arthur via aol.com.
“When you’re in the moment of the game, you’re just playing the game, coaching the game,” Steichen said. “But after you look back and watch the tape and the stuff that he puts out, the numbers he’s put up throughout his whole career have been awesome. And obviously, we want to continue that trend this year with him.”