The Indianapolis Colts won its second-straight game of the season and is now .500 after beating the Washington Commanders in London.

Let’s waste zero time and jump straight into the winners and losers from this game.

Winners

RB Jonathan Taylor

It’s a little scary to think about what the Colts offense would have looked like on Sunday against the Commanders without running back Jonathan Taylor in the lineup.

The Colts were already down their top two receivers in Alec Pierce and Keenan Allen. Outside of Taylor, the offensive line struggled for most of the afternoon, and quarterback Daniel Jones had his issues, which we’ll get to soon.

Taylor looked like his typical self, rushing for almost 100 yards and two touchdowns while averaging nearly five yards per carry. He also added one reception for two yards.

However, Taylor’s work in the red zone made the biggest difference for the Colts. He was the reason drives turned into points. Without him, this game is probably a lot closer than it was, even with everything that went wrong for Washington’s offense.

Colts defense

Indianapolis absolutely stifled the Commanders offense. Sure, Athan Kaliakmanis was thrust into the lineup unexpectedly, but the defense still did its job. Would you rather have watched Kaliakmanis tear the unit apart, or see the defense take control and bottle him up like it did?

The defense also held up against Marcus Mariota in the red zone. The Colts kept the Commanders out of the end zone on both of those possessions, including a goal-to-go series that ended in a field goal instead of a touchdown. Those extra points would have made this a much tighter game.

Plus, Indianapolis held Washington to 2-of-15 on third down. That’s impressive no matter who’s under center.

DL DeForest Buckner

Buckner didn’t record a sack or force a takeaway, but he was an absolute disruptor. His biggest play came when he tracked down Mariota on a long run in the first quarter.

If Buckner doesn’t hustle on that play, the run easily turns into seven points. Going back to the last point, who knows how that could have shifted things.

Buckner finished with four total tackles, two quarterback hits, a tackle for loss, and a pass deflection. He also generated the pressure that kept Mariota from running into the end zone during the goal-to-go series.

K Shane Shrader

Shrader did his job, hitting all three of his field goal attempts. All three came from 44 yards or longer.

Schrader has been a strong spot for this team so far, and the Colts need that. The inconsistencies from Jones and the passing attack as a whole make a reliable leg that much more valuable.

Losers

QB Daniel Jones

Jones is easily the biggest loser for Indianapolis. He rebounded for the most part in the second half after a rough first half, but this is a quarterback getting paid $44 million per year on average. He simply has to play better.

The interception he threw was horrible. While he didn’t get the best protection on his fumble, the broadcast crew pointed out that he has to know when to get rid of the ball quicker, and he had a receiver open at the time.

Jones has to play smarter and can’t turn the ball over. It’s always been his issue. That tells me that as long as it continues, the Colts are going to be up and down on offense, even with Taylor carrying the load.

Colts’ pass protection

In Jones’ defense, he didn’t have a lot to work with on most passing snaps because the offensive line kept getting blown up. The tackles were an issue, and even the interior allowed pressure. Overall, Jones was sacked twice and hit six times, in all.

The group had some good moments in the run game. Overall, though, Indianapolis’ pass protection needs to shape up, even after facing a talented Commanders defensive front.

Colts’ third down offense

Indianapolis went 5-of-15 on third down, a 33% conversion rate. That’s not going to help you win many ball games.

To be fair, the Colts faced an average of 6.5 yards to go on third down, and that context matters. At the same time, that’s not an incredibly long distance like eight or nine yards. With Jones’ mobility, 6.5 yards is manageable enough.

Either way, the Colts committed only one penalty for five yards, so they didn’t hurt themselves with flags. Indianapolis needs to be better on third down if it wants to keep winning games.