Indianapolis Colts at Washington Commanders

Game preview

Colts vs. Commanders: Week 4 London preview

The Indianapolis Colts and Washington Commanders arrive at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with matching 1-2 records and a chance to turn a first win into consecutive victories. Indianapolis beat Houston 19-17 in Week 3; Washington edged Seattle 33-31. The central questions are whether the Colts can protect possession and how Washington sustains its offense with Marcus Mariota starting again.

Kickoff and how to follow

Kickoff is Sunday, October 4, 2026, at 9:30 a.m. EDT in Indianapolis and Washington, 6:30 a.m. PDT on the U.S. West Coast, and 2:30 p.m. BST in London (13:30 UTC). Washington is the designated home team; the game is in London, not at Northwest Stadium.

• United States: See Game details above for the national U.S. TV listing. Indianapolis-area viewers also have WRTV, according to the Colts’ game-specific viewing guide. Check your provider’s channel lineup and local listings; the Indianapolis simulcast is not a nationwide over-the-air option.
• U.S. mobile: The NFL’s game-specific guidance lists live viewing for NFL+ subscribers on supported phones and tablets. A subscription is required; do not assume that a mobile live-game entitlement includes casting to a television.
• United Kingdom and other markets: The NFL lists Sky Sports, Channel 5 and NFL Game Pass on DAZN for London viewers. Outside the U.S., Game Pass International access depends on country and broadcast restrictions. Confirm availability for your location and package before kickoff.
• Radio: Indianapolis coverage is on 93.5/107.5 The Fan and 97.1 HANK; Washington’s flagship is BIG 100 (WBIG-FM). Westwood One carries national radio coverage.

Game-day inactives — October 4, 2026

Sunday update: Washington has listed Terry McLaurin as inactive. The Colts’ game-day release identifies his injury as a hamstring issue. The Commanders’ other inactives are Rachaad White, Jayden Daniels, Luke McCaffrey, Nick Cross, Javontae Jean-Baptiste and Sam Cosmi, according to Washington’s October 4 announcement.

Indianapolis lists Keenan Allen, D.J. Giddens, George Gumbs Jr., Riley Leonard (third quarterback), Darius Slayton and Dalton Tucker as inactive in its October 4 announcement. These published game-day lists provide newer availability information than the reports below; they do not establish starting roles or workloads for other players.

Earlier availability reports — October 2–3, 2026

Saturday update: The Colts downgraded Keenan Allen to out with a groin injury for the October 4 matchup. His Friday questionable designation is superseded by the team’s October 3 announcement. Ashton Dulin, dealing with an ankle injury, practiced fully Thursday and Friday but was still listed as questionable at that point.

Indianapolis also elevated receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine from the practice squad for Sunday’s game. This is a temporary game-day elevation, not a permanent signing to the 53-man roster; it does not establish his snap count.

Mo Alie-Cox returned to full practice Friday after missing Wednesday and Thursday with an illness, and the Colts’ final report gives him no game-status designation. These October 2 designations are newer than the dated injury-feed entries elsewhere on this page.

Washington coach Dan Quinn has ruled Jayden Daniels out, with Marcus Mariota set to start. Read the Commanders quarterback update for the latest on that decision. Questionable status is not a declaration that a player will miss the game; final active and inactive lists are separate.

Washington’s other confirmed absences on the final Friday report are running back Rachaad White (shoulder), guard Sam Cosmi (concussion/throat) and safety Nick Cross (illness). Terry McLaurin (hamstring) and safety Percy Butler (concussion) were questionable on Friday. McLaurin was limited Friday; Butler practiced fully, illustrating why participation and game status should be read separately. Quinn said Frankie Luvu and Chig Okonkwo would return to the lineup.

Three matchup questions

Can Indianapolis stay patient on the ground? Jonathan Taylor enters Week 4 with 258 rushing yards on 66 carries. Washington has allowed 82 rushing yards per game through three weeks. That small sample suggests a demanding test for the Colts’ run game, not a guarantee of how Sunday will unfold. If Washington wins early downs, Indianapolis will need efficient passing answers, without Allen.

Can the Colts keep the ball? Indianapolis survived a minus-three turnover margin against Houston. Washington generated three takeaways against Seattle that led to 20 points. Those one-game results make ball security a useful lens for this matchup: avoiding short fields may matter as much as total yardage. A cleaner start would also give Indianapolis more freedom to keep Taylor involved rather than chase the score.

Can Washington finish drives with Mariota? Mariota threw for 183 yards against Seattle and used a nine-yard run on third-and-7 to help close out the win. Indianapolis needs disciplined rush lanes as well as coverage. With White, Cosmi and McLaurin inactive, watch how Washington handles protection and third-down targets. Okonkwo’s return offers another receiving option, but the distribution of work remains a game-day question.

What to check before kickoff

This preview now includes both clubs’ published Sunday, October 4 inactive lists. The Friday and Saturday reports are retained above as dated context. Follow the official team reports for any later change before kickoff, without assuming starting roles or snap counts. Older automated injury or reserve entries elsewhere on this page are separate from this dated editorial update. The NFL schedule provides the rest of the Week 4 slate.