The Washington Commanders just have not looked good to start the 2026 season. Washington suffered another devastating loss on Sunday, falling 30-13 against Indianapolis in London. The Commanders looked to be in control of this game throughout much of the first quarter. Unfortunately, they let that lead slip away after a series of brutal injuries and head-scratching mistakes.
The Commanders knew they would be behind the eight ball in this contest. Remember, Jayden Daniels is still out with an elbow injury and Terry McLaurin was ruled out shortly before kickoff. Still, fans must be frustrated that Washington let this winnable game slip through their fingers.
So what exactly went wrong for Washington in London? And should Commanders fans start panicking after their 1-3 start to the season?
These are the Commanders most to blame for their ugly Week 4 loss against the Colts.
A combination of injuries, mistakes held the Commanders back
The injury to Marcus Mariota was obviously a big problem for the Commanders in this game. But it is not as simple as blaming rookie Athan Kaliakmanis for losing the game.
In fact, Kaliakmanis deserves some praise for rising to the occasion in London. He finished 15-of-33 for 186 passing yards with one touchdown and one interception. It took him a bit of time to get settled, but he eventually connected on a few huge plays.
That said, it is unquestionable that Mariota's injury changed the complexion of this game. So while it may not be anyone's fault precisely, it opened the door for Indy to hang around and slowly chip away at Washington's lead.
Beyond that injury, the Commanders made a few boneheaded mistakes that kept them from keeping pace with the Colts.
The most high-leverage play was what could have been a clutch touchdown by Antonio Williams. The rookie receiver had an incredible 87-yard catch and run for a touchdown reversed due to a procedural penalty. That took seven points off the board when the Commanders desperately needed them.
Penalties were a theme throughout the whole game. In fact, Washington committed 10 penalties for 84 yards compared to just one penalty for five yards by Indy. There's no question that this discrepancy played a huge role in the result of the game.
The cards were stacked against the Commanders from the beginning. But Washington only made the situation worse by consistently shooting themselves in the foot.
The Commanders have one of the worst rushing units in the NFL this season
Don't let the stats through three weeks fool you, Washington has one of the worst rushing attacks in the league this season.
Yes, the Commanders entered the week with 132 rushing yards per game, which ranked eighth in the NFL so far this year. But that average will take a big hit after Washington's huge dud in Week 4.
The Commanders logged a respectable 100 rushing yards against the Colts. But it doesn't take too much sleuthing to see that it was an incredibly fluky 100-yard performance.
35 of those rushing yards came from Mariota on an electric run during the opening drive. Kaliakmanis added 16 rushing yards himself on scrambles. That means 51 rushing yards, just over half the team's production, came from the quarterback position.
Article Continues BelowMeanwhile, the actual running backs struggled mightily. Jacory Croskey-Merritt only managed 15 rushing yards on nine attempts. Craig Reynolds and Kaytron Allen didn't fare any better, combining for five yards on five carries. The best running back today was Austin Ekeler, who logged four carries for 29 rushing yards coming off the couch.
This is all the more concerning because Indy has one of the worst run defense units in the league on paper. Yet the Colts stifled the Commanders at every turn.
Washington needs to figure out what is wrong with their run game before it is too late.
Washington's run defense was uncharacteristically bad in London
Normally Commanders fans can count on their team to at least defend the run pretty well. But even that went out the window in Week 4.
Washington allowed 128 rushing yards on Sunday, struggling to contain Indy's ground game for all four quarters. They do deserve some credit for slowing down Jonathan Taylor, who had almost no impact on the game in the first quarter. But he eventually took over and gave the Colts the momentum they needed to convincingly take the lead.
Taylor finished with 20 carries for 95 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Those touchdowns proved to be critical scores in a game where both offenses sputtered throughout the first half.
It was surprising to see another team run so effectively against Washington.
The Commanders came into this game with one of the best run defense units in the NFL. They only allowed 82 rushing yards per game through three weeks, which ranks third in the NFL behind only the Buccaneer and Falcons.
This performance may not have looked so bad if the offense could have pulled their own weight. Instead, the Commanders finally broke after getting more and more tired throughout the game.
Washington's run defense is one area where the team could easily bounce back during Week 5.