Why one play in Week 4 was a showcase of Colts’…

The Colts not only felt their biggest issues on defense to begin the 2026 season were communication and tackling, but they also felt those issues were eminently fixable.

In last weekend’s 30-13 win over the Washington Commanders at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, one play in particular was a showcase for the solutions to those issues.

Midway through the second quarter, the Colts were losing, 6-0, and quarterback Daniel Jones had just thrown an interception. Momentum was squarely with the Commanders at this point.

Facing a fourth-and-one near midfield, Washington center Lucas Patrick stood over the ball and then backed off with about 20 seconds left on the play clock. Two wide receivers on the far side of the field jogged off and were replaced by two tight ends, as the Commanders went back into their huddle.

In a matter of seconds, the Commanders went from 11 personnel (three wide receivers, one running back, one tight end) to 13 personnel (one wide receiver, one running back, three tight ends). The Colts were in their usual nickel personnel group, with four defensive linemen, two linebackers and five defensive backs.

Upon seeing Washington bring heavier personnel on, MIKE linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither turned toward the Colts’ sideline and motioned for a substitution. Cornerback Justin Walley ran off the field, with defensive tackle Jerry Tillery quickly subbing on.

“That’s what they want,” Davis-Gaither said. “They want to either burn a timeout or just be in a panic.”

Davis-Gaither then gave instructions to defensive tackle Grover Stewart and guided Tillery to where he needed to line up, barking the play call to the Colts’ front. At the snap, Tillery was ready, swimming past guard Brandon Coleman and into the backfield to drop running back Craig Reynolds for a loss.

“That was the momentum swinger in the game,” head coach Shane Steichen said.

Steichen, himself, was impressed with Washington’s late-substitution plan. It’s the exact kind of thing he’d try to do on a fourth-and-short to gain an advantage.

Instead, Davis-Gaither, Tillery and the Colts’ defense was ready for it.

“It was great by our defense to get lined up, Akeem to get the call wired up to the defensive line and then Jerry Tillery just swim moves the guard over the top and makes a TFL there,” Steichen said. “… It was impressive by Washington what they did in that situation. But what we did in that moment to keep our cool, to get that stop, that was a huge momentum swing for us.”

Both Davis-Gaither and safety Cam Bynum pointed to the Colts’ defense playing more consistently as a cohesive, 11-as-one group over the last few games. The experience of playing with each other for a quarter of a season now has improved the Colts’ “communication, urgency” and trust, Davis-Gaither said.

And Tillery, for his part, was so focused on his alignment, assignment and technique that he didn’t initially register the caliber of play he had just made.

“My teammates above me were celebrating,” Tillery smiled. “So I knew something good happened.”