Watch Indianapolis Colts vs. Washington Commanders International Game with Sling
Get Sling Select, Blue, or Orange & Blue to watch the Indianapolis Colts and Washington Commanders in London on NFL Network, Sunday, October 4 at 9:30AM ET.
The last time the Indianapolis Colts won a football game before this past Sunday, they had to leave the country to do it. So forgive Indy if it’s feeling good about another passport stamp. Fresh off snapping a nine-game losing streak, the Colts head to London to face the Washington Commanders — the team behind the biggest upset of the NFL season so far — at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, October 4. The game airs exclusively on NFL Network (for everything else on the football calendar, check out our ultimate guide to watching football with Sling).
Let’s be honest about the stakes: these are two 1-2 teams, most likely not a Super Bowl preview. But a London kickoff has a way of sharpening things, and each side crosses the Atlantic with a story worth watching — an Indy defense that finally showed up, and a Washington team that just proved it can win without its franchise quarterback. Here’s a preview of the Colts vs. Commanders, plus a look at the full 2026 NFL International Series schedule. To watch on NFL Network with Sling, get a monthly subscription to Sling Select, Sling Blue, or Sling Orange & Blue.
Date: Sunday, October 4, 2026
Kickoff: 9:30AM ET (2:30PM BST)
Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, U.K.
Channel: NFL Network (exclusive)
Sling plans: Sling Select, Sling Blue, or Sling Orange & Blue
Indianapolis Colts vs. Washington Commanders: what to expect
https://youtu.be/VnBJ3E8ZSr0?si=NpVLSnGGFxB6Gisp
This is the 33rd regular-season meeting between the franchises, and Indianapolis owns a 21-11 edge in the all-time series. Both teams enter at 1-2, which sounds like a shrug until you look at the math: according to the IndyStar, only 17 of the 62 teams that started 1-2 since the NFL moved to a 17-game schedule went on to make the playoffs. Win in London and you’re back to .500 heading into mid-October. Lose, and it’s a long, quiet flight home at 1-3.
Washington is the designated home team, though “home” is a generous word for a building in north London. Still, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was built with this exact scenario in mind: its grass soccer pitch retracts to reveal a dedicated artificial NFL field underneath, so neither team has to worry about slipping on a surface chewed up by a Premier League weekend. What they do have to worry about is a 9:30AM ET kickoff and a body clock working through football during the breakfast hours (fans may suffer this condition as well).
Why the Indianapolis Colts will win
Start with the defense, because for the first two weeks, it was the problem. Indianapolis surrendered a league-worst 74 points across Weeks 1 and 2, then turned around and held the Houston Texans to 223 total yards – including just 81 through the first three quarters – in a 19-17 win. Kicker Spencer Shrader handled the rest, fighting through a groin injury to make all four of his field goals, including the game-winner with 16-seconds left.
That formula – keep it close, lean on the defense, trust the kicker – travels well. Against a Washington offense that may or may not have its starting quarterback, the Colts can shorten the game by feeding All-Pro running back Jonathan Taylor and forcing the Commanders to put together long, patient drives with their backup QB under center.
Why the Washington Commanders will win
Call Week 3 what it was: the upset of the season so far. Washington beat the defending-champion Seattle Seahawks 33-31 without starting quarterback Jayden Daniels, who is dealing with a dislocated left elbow. Backup Marcus Mariota – a former Heisman Trophy winner – threw three touchdowns without an interception, and the defense forced three turnovers against the champs. Not bad for a week most people had penciled in as a loss.
That’s the part the Colts should lose sleep over. Daniels’ is now listed as out, but Washington has already shown it doesn’t need him to beat an elite team. Given last week’s upset, Mariota enters the game with the confidence of a starter (which he’s been for the majority of the past 17 games). To top it off, Washington’s ball-hawking defense gets a crack at a Colts offense that needed four field goals to beat Houston – and the same Indy defense that held the Texans to 81 yards through three quarters gave up 142 in the fourth.
The prediction and how to watch
On paper, this is a coin flip with a British pence. Indianapolis has the all-time series edge and a defense that just rediscovered itself; Washington has the upset momentum, a defense that feeds on turnovers, and a quarterback room that proved it’s deeper than anyone expected. Expect a close, physical game that comes down to the turnover margin — and possibly to whichever kicker has the steadier leg late in the fourth quarter. Most importantly, 9:30AM ET means breakfast football. To really get in the spirit, eat baked beans, fried tom-ah-toes, and bangers (aka sausage). Or don’t, your call.
Score projection: Colts 20, Commanders 24.
Odds Via DraftKings
Spread: Colts: -3.5 (-115); Commanders +3.5 (-105)
Over/Under: O 48.5 (-108); U 48.5 (-112)
Two teams, one ocean, and a whole lot riding on getting to 2-2. When you’re ready for kickoff, catch every snap of the Colts vs. Commanders from London on NFL Network with your monthly subscription to Sling Select, Sling Blue, or Sling Orange & Blue.