Colts Monday Morning Awards: Week 4 Vs Commanders (london)

The Colts shook off an ugly first quarter and leaned on their run game to walk out of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a convincing 30-13 win.

Was the first month of the season pretty? Absolutely not, but the Stampede Blue Community would have taken a 2-2 record after a tough stretch against the Ravens, Chiefs, Texans and Commanders, in that order. The defense has stepped up in consecutive games and dominated third down, while the rushing attack took over and Jonathan Taylor continued cementing his name into the record books as an international superstar. 

Here’s to a new edition of Monday Morning Awards.

MVP of the Game: Jonathan Taylor

Who else deserves it other than the best player on the roster? Taylor rushed for 95 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries, becoming both the NFL’s all-time leading rusher and scorer in international games. After he bounced left for a 5-yard score to give the Colts a lead they would never relinquish, he celebrated his sixth touchdown of the season by sitting criss-cross applesauce to veritably sip tea in front of a roaring crowd in London.

With 75 career touchdowns, Indy’s 27-year-old tailback joined Emmitt Smith, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Jim Brown as the only running backs to reach that mark before turning 28. Taylor doesn’t turn 28 until after the regular season and wild-card weekend ends. 

Dud of the Game: Daniel Jones performance

The dud of the game came from Daniel Jones, who was strip-sacked by Odafe Oweh and lost the fumble, giving Washington the ball near the Colts’ red zone on the second snap from scrimmage. Jones later threw an interception off his back foot to cornerback Rasul Douglas, marking his eighth turnover-worthy play through four games and putting the Colts in a 6-0 hole before he finally settled in. The veteran QB finished 19 of 34 for just 143 passing yards, but scrambled for a 4-yard touchdown to put the Colts ahead by two scores early in the fourth quarter.

Worst Play of the Game: Turnover terminates opening drive

The worst play of the game has to be the opening sequence as the Colts had the ball for just two snaps before Jones fumbled and gave Washington a chance to seize an early lead on a short field. Oweh rushed from the right edge and drove left tackle Bernhard Raimann straight into Jones’ dropback, which knocked the ball loose before Oweh recovered it himself.

Best Play of the Game: Jaylon Carlies’ interception

If the firs half was hard to stomach, any doubts of leaving London with a victory were halted when the defense finally got the big turnover it needed to start the third quarter. Washington was pushed backward from a penalty and faced with third-and-17, then linebacker Jaylon Carlies reached up to haul in a pass intended for Andrew Williams for his first career interception and returned it to the Commanders’ 27-yard line. Four plays later, Taylor plunged into the end zone and gave the Colts a 17-6 lead.

Best Position Group: Defensive line

The defensive front combined for 14 stops and 11 QB hits, then made life miserable as Washington was able to convert just 2-of-15 third downs. Laiatu Latu and Adetomiwa Adebawore combined for a sack that knocked opposing starter Marcus Mariota out of the game, while Latu added two more quarterback hits. DeForest Buckner had three quarterback hits of his own, and showcased his chasedown ability catching Mariota near midfield earlier in the game. The biggest difference was the pressure as Washington could move the sticks with its emergency third-string QB. 

Unsung Hero: Spencer Shrader

Kicker Spencer Shrader made all three field goals from 48, 52, and 44-yards out to keep the Colts ahead with enough cushion to maintain a lead. His 52-yarder in the third quarter pushed the Colts’ lead back to seven after Washington had trimmed the deficit to 17-13.

Shrader quietly put together one of those games where you don’t notice the kicker until you look at the scoreboard and realize he has as many points as the opponent. Along with three extra points, Shrader collected 12 points while the Commanders left 13 on the scoreboard. 

Rookie of the Week: Seth McGowan

Rookie running back Seth McGowan didn’t need a huge workload, but his 10 touches were more than enough to make an impact. With Taylor doing most of the heavy-lifting, McGowan carried the ball six times for 31 yards, averaging 5.2 per carry. Two of those six carries resulted in first downs as McGowan provided a nice change of pace and showed why he’s capable of getting more opportunities. McGowan also returned four kickoffs for a combined 102 return yards, with the final return stopping the Commanders’ momentum and ultimately led to a field goal. 

Honorable Mention: Justin Walley

Sunday was Justin Walley’s best game of his young career. He finished with eight tackles and a key sack on an blitz that forced a fourth down and knocked the Commanders out of field-goal range. Walley came screaming uncovered from the blindside and dropped Kaliakmanis for a 9-yard sack that forced Washington to punt. Walley posted a 75.4 coverage grade, which ranked among the top 10 cornerbacks who played at least 10 coverage snaps in Week 4.

Charvarius Ward deserves credit when its due, too. Washington completed only one pass against him on five targets, while Ward recorded three forced incompletions. His three forced incompletions and 41.0 snaps per reception was third among cornerbacks through Sunday in Week 4. 

Indy struggled to start the game, but played complementary football in the second half. The Colts finished with just one penalty compared to Washington’s 10 and won the turnover battle after the early mistake. Between the clean play, dominance on third down and pounding the rock with their marquee tailback, the Colts stuck to their playstyle and return stateside with an even 2-2 record. 

The Colts travel to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers (2-2) next Sunday, with kickoff set for 1 p.m.