The Washington Commanders defeated the Indianapolis Colts 17-16 Sunday to move to 4-4 on the season.
Quarterback Taylor Heinicke led a nine-play, 89-yard drive to propel the Commanders to their third consecutive win. Heinicke capped off the drive with a one-yard touchdown run with 22 seconds remaining.
The Colts would get one more with 22 seconds and one timeout, but Washington’s defense held, and Commanders prevailed with a win.
Here’s everything we know from Washington’s 17-16 win.
Final score: Commanders 17, Colts 16
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
| Washington Commanders | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 17 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 16 |
Why the Commanders won
Running back Antonio Gibson had another good game for the Commanders, catching a touchdown pass for the second consecutive week. Gibson caught seven passes for 58 yards and also rushed for 19 yards.
However, wide receiver Terry McLaurin came up with the biggest play of the day. McLaurin’s 33-yard catch with 26 seconds remaining set up Taylor Heinicke’s one-yard touchdown on the next play to give Washington the lead — and the win.
Washington’s defense forced two turnovers in Indianapolis QB Sam Ehlinger’s first career start. It wasn’t Washington’s best defensive effort of the season, but they did enough to preserve the win. The Commanders’ front four dominated the Indianapolis offensive line throughout the game.
It was over when....
I hate to keep referring to this McLaurin catch, but it was what decided the game. McLaurin put the Commanders inside the one-yard line with 22 seconds and one timeout remaining. Thanks to that one timeout, Washington could call at least one run play, something it wasn’t able to do against Tennessee in a similar situation three weeks ago.
Check it out one more time.
Terry McLaurin OVER Stephon Gilmore 🤯
pic.twitter.com/aTyU8Ummxd— PFF (@PFF) October 30, 2022
Commanders' top performers
- QB Taylor Heinicke: 23/31, 279 yards, one touchdown, one interception, 29 rushing yards, one touchdown
- RB Antonio Gibson: 19 rushing yards, seven receptions for 58 yards, and one touchdown.
- WR Terry McLaurin: 6 receptions, 113 yards
- DT Jonathan Allen: 8 tackles, 2 for loss and one forced fumble
Game notes
- Heinicke was up and down throughout the day. After his interception, he did a terrific job of shaking off the turnover and leading two scoring drives to bring home the win for his team.
- Gibson had a dominant first half, but offensive coordinator Scott Turner seemed to get away from him in the second half.
- The Commanders were a miserable 2/12 on third downs.
- Defensively, Washington allowed the Colts to convert five of 12 on third downs. The Commanders entered the game second in the NFL on third-down defense.
- David Mayo started in place of Cole Holcomb at linebacker and had two tackles. Jon Bostic also saw action. Second-year linebacker Jamin Davis had a critical stop in the game, continuing to show his growth.
- Punter Tress Way averaged 49 yards per punt. He nailed several inside of Indianapolis’15-yard line.
What's next
Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings. Cousins and former Washington offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell has the Vikings at 6-1 entering next week and is one of the NFL’s top offensive teams.
