Athan Kaliakmanis knew there was a chance he would need to play when it was announced that Marcus Mariota would be the Washington Commanders' starting quarterback and spent the last two weeks preparing for the possibility while Jayden Daniels recovered from his dislocated elbow.

It came as a surprise when his number was called against the Indianapolis Colts, but hey, that's life in the NFL. Changes come at a moment's notice, and everyone needs to be ready for them.

"You prepare all week [that] if anything happens, you gotta be ready to go in," Kaliakmanis said after the game. "Because you never know; you're always one snap away."

Kaliakmanis was called into action and finished the afternoon as the starter when Mariota strained his MCL 12 snaps into the game. The result wasn't what he or the Commanders wanted, as they suffered a 30-13 loss, but he's grateful for the opportunity because of all the lessons he learned in one afternoon. He's already working on some of them so he can be more prepared for his next opportunity.

"I gotta be better as a player," Kaliakmanis said.

Kaliakmanis was the Commanders' final draft pick in April, and there were questions as to why they brought in another quarterback when they already had their starter and backup. The Commanders felt Kaliakmanis had traits they could develop along with a good attitude they could add to the position. Kaliakmanis has a different play style compared to Daniels and Mariota but showed off some of the promise the Commanders saw in him during training camp. The plan, however, was that he wouldn't need to play in a game aside from a few snaps in the fourth quarter.

It took some time for Kaliakmanis to find his footing after being thrown into the game in London, but there were moments when he showed the makings of being a quality player in the future. The offense was different with him under center, but Kaliakmanis didn't seem uncomfortable as he surveyed his options in the pocket. His first third-down conversion came off a pass to Stefon Diggs, who hauled in the pass for seven yards.

"We trust AK [Kaliakmanis] to go out there and do the things he needs to do," Dyami Brown said after the game. "And we stand behind him for it."

Colts defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo didn't make life easy on Kaliakmanis. He didn't blitz the quarterback an excessive amount -- per Pro Football Reference, Kaliakmanis was pressured on only 20% of his dropbacks -- but he did choose moments in which Kaliakmanis needed to make a play. Most of the pressure came off the edge and led to a sack on third-and-9 that knocked the Commanders out of field goal range. Other times, Kaliakmanis got the ball out but was punished for it with hard hits on his release.

But plays were open downfield thanks to that pressure, and Kaliakmanis started letting the ball fly in the second half. He tied with C.J. Stroud for the highest average depth of target at 14.1 yards and had six passes of at least 30 yards -- the most for a quarterback in a single game so far this season. Two of those passes found their mark -- a 48-yarder to Dyami Brown and a 47-yarder to Treylon Burks that resulted in his first career touchdown pass.

The game's outcome somewhat spoiled the moment, but Kaliakmanis said it was "surreal" on the sideline.

"I was just picking on the safety, and it was just a great play by Treylon," Kaliakmanis said. "Just super proud of that group."

Kaliakmanis was more focused on what he could have done in the game, rather than his accomplishments, and he recognized there were plenty of mistakes for him to learn from. The most glaring moment came at the start of the second half, when Jaylon Carlies tipped and intercepted a pass intended for Antonio Williams on a third-and-17.

It was a reminder to Kaliakmanis that "there's no need to put the cape on."

"There's no need to try and do something different," Kaliakmanis said. "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."

And Kaliakmanis has the right mindset for how to learn from that mistake and others.

"Your coaches ask you to do something, they coach you to do something, do it the way they coach you to do it, I believe," Kaliakmanis said. "Being coachable is so important in this sport."

Kaliakmanis has plenty of people on the sideline besides the coaches with confidence in him. Stefon Diggs took some time to let him know that he and his fellow receivers trust him to do his job and deliver them the ball. He also has Daniels' knowledge as a resource, and the former No. 2 overall pick was giving him coaching tips throughout the game.

That, among other things, Kaliakmanis said, is why he views Daniels as "the ultimate leader."

"That's what a true pro looks like in my eyes," Kaliakmanis said. "Just for Jayden to do what he does, he's coaching me, giving me hints and stuff like that about the game and what the defense might be doing and play call recommendations. He's just a true professional, and I couldn't be more thankful for a guy like that."

The current expectation is that Kaliakmanis will not be under center for the first snap against the New York Giants this coming weekend. Daniels is expected to have a full week of practice, and if everything goes well, he will start and try to get his team one game closer to .500.

But Kaliakmanis is going to keep preparing as if he's going to be on the field, and he has essentially a whole game's worth of experience to build upon.

"There's a lot of work to do, and that's for sure," Kaliakmanis said. "I can't wait to get back at it. I'm eager. I'm eager to watch the tape. I'm eager to get back after it."