The Washington Commanders traveled to London to seek their first win on international soil on Sunday. Unfortunately, injuries ruined any chance of the Commanders picking up that first international win as they fell 30-13 to the Indianapolis Colts at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Washington started off fast, as Odafe Oweh sacked Colts quarterback Daniel Jones on the second play from scrimmage, forcing a fumble and recovering it deep in Indianapolis territory. However, the Commanders settled for three points. After another defensive stand, quarterback Marcus Mariota led Washington downfield and into the red zone.
On that final third-down play, Mariota was sacked after right guard Matt Gulbin allowed pressure and appeared to be injured. Mariota went
into the blue medical tent and then into the locker room. Rookie seventh-round pick Athan Kaliakmanis replaced Mariota, with Jayden Daniels already out. Mariota would not return.
Kaliakmanis played reasonably well, considering the circumstances. He completed 15 of 33 passes for 186 yards, one touchdown, and an interception. He stood tall in the pocket under heavy duress and made some plays. But he didn’t have a ton of help. Some of that can be blamed on injuries, playcalling, the offensive line, or officiating.
Speaking of which, we’ve gone over how badly it went against the Commanders. Indianapolis was called for one 5-yard penalty, while Washington was called for 10 penalties for 84 yards. There were some egregious no-calls, too.
The NFL officiating problem isn’t exclusive to the Washington Commanders. It’s bad across the board. One of those non-calls in Sunday’s game comes to us courtesy of the X account, “The Hater Report.”
Refs not even trying to hide it anymore lmao
— Hater Report (@HaterReport) October 4, 2026
Patrick Mahomes — Roughing the Passer
Athan Kaliakmanis — Welcome to the NFL 😭 pic.twitter.com/obixcipRsh
In the video above, on the left, you see Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes get hit during last week’s win over the Miami Dolphins. Miami edge rusher Chop Robinson was called for roughing the passer. Whether you agree with it or not, fine. As long as it’s consistent, right?
Well, we know consistency and NFL officiating never go hand in hand.
On the right, you see Washington’s seventh-round rookie take the same exact hit in Sunday’s game. No call. And you wonder why fans of the Commanders and other teams look at the number of penalties called on one side — and the lack of calls on the other side — and wonder what is going on?
It’s perfectly fine if you call neither a roughing the passer. But if you call one roughing the passer, clearly the other is, too.
It’s clear the NFL wasn’t OK with Mahomes being hit, but they don’t really care about a seventh-round rookie for a 1-2 team. Is that accurate?
This specific play didn’t cost the Commanders Sunday’s game against the Colts. But every NFL fan should see it the same way. That’s why no one trusts the NFL or its officiating. When you look at everything in its totality from Sunday’s game, you can see the bigger picture.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: NFL's officiating problem highlighted with two images
