Kaliakmanis replaces injured Mariota as Commanders lose to Colts in London

LONDON (AP) — The Commanders are headed back to Washington dealing with yet another quarterback injury.

That makes for an unpleasant flight home after Washington lost 30-13 to the Indianapolis Colts at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.

Marcus Mariota lasted just two drives in his second straight start in place of Jayden Daniels, who dislocated his left elbow in Week 2 against Dallas but might be back soon.

Mariota sustained a knee injury while getting sacked. So the Commanders (1-3) turned to rookie Athan Kaliakmanis, a rookie seventh-round draft pick out of Rutgers.

“Athan came in after 12 plays. That’s not the ideal space to begin it, but I thought he also showed a lot of confidence, some fearlessness with that, and made some of the throws to highlight why he is where he is,” coach Dan Quinn said.

“As far as a full team, I didn’t think we did enough around him,” Quinn added. “I loved the way the defense started, created takeaways but to only get field goals out of those ... those were ones that we needed to nail.”

Washington led 6-0 on field goals from Drew Stevens, but from there the Colts took control. Indy took a 10-6 lead into halftime.

Jaylon Carlies' third-quarter interception of Kaliakmanis in Washington territory set up Jonathan Taylor's second 5-yard touchdown run to make it 17-6.

Kaliakmanis said that interception was the one time he tried to do too much.

“There’s no need to try to put the cape on ... The one time I did, it was a pick. Maybe I could have put a little more loft on it ... maybe I could have thrown it away," he said.

The highlight of his day was hitting Treylon Burks on a 47-yard touchdown pass that closed the gap to 17-13.

“It was surreal, man, it was absolutely surreal,” Kaliakmanis said, “but I’ve got to be honest, right now I’m just thinking about the loss. It’s not about me. It’s about this team.

“There were some very blessed moments for me,” he added, “but at the end of the day I’m a winner and today we did not win.”

The rookie said he's looking forward to studying film of the game to make corrections. He completed 15 of 33 passes for 186 yards with one touchdown and the interception.

“I’m eager to get back after it,” he said. “I don't know what the situation is going to be like, but I’m going to wake up and prepare like I’m the starter.”

The Commanders host the New York Giants next Sunday and ideally would have their star QB back in action.

Daniels wore a brace this week on his injured — non-throwing arm — this past week at practice but was ruled out on Friday. Mariota had led the team to a 33-31 victory over the Seahawks last week, so there was confidence in the veteran.

Daniels had expressed no concerns about re-injuring the elbow.

“He’ll have a full week of practice,” Quinn said. “That's the goal — that he can get into that space. Once we see where Marcus is, that part too, we'll have a better understanding. That's the goal — for Jayden to throw full on. He was able to do some limited this week. This week would be the plan for him to do all the reps.”

Mariota had a 35-yard run around the left end to start Washington' second drive — and that alone made him the team's leading rusher for the game. Austin Ekeler carried four times for 29 yards.

“The team thinks it’s an MCL injury,” Quinn said of Mariota. “When we get the scan (Monday), we’ll have further knowledge of what we’re dealing with in length (of absence).”

The Commanders also missed having Terry McLaurin in the lineup. The wide receiver suffered a hamstring injury on Friday and he was ruled out Sunday.

“He desperately wanted to go. It was just the best play to hold him out,” Quinn said.

Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu said the team will stay positive.

“We can’t sit around, mope around,” he said. “It’s a long season. Getting back to work is all we know.”

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