The Washington Commanders are getting ready for the third season of the Dan Quinn era, and the expectations remain high.

The Commanders have a 17-game slate full of challenges and opportunities against some of the league's best teams. Super Bowl contenders like the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers loom later in the year along with talented teams like the Cincinnati Bengals and Houston Texans. There's even another international game in the near future against the Indianapolis Colts in London.

Now that the season is on the horizon, Commanders.com is going to break down each of Washington's opponents. We're moving on to the Colts, whom they will play in London on the first weekend of October.

GAME INFORMATION

Date: Oct. 4
Time: 9:30 a.m.
Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (London, United Kingdom)

Individual stats leaders

• Passing Yards -- QB Daniel Jones (3,101)
• Passing TDs -- QB Daniel Jones (19)
• Rushing Yards -- RB Jonathan Taylor (1,585)
• Rushing TDs -- RB Jonathan Taylor (18)
• Receiving Yards -- WR Alec Pierce (1,003)
• Receiving TDs -- WR Michael Pittman Jr. (7)
• Tackles -- LB Zaire Franklin (125)
• Sacks -- DE Laiatu Latu (8.5)
• Interceptions -- S Cam Bynum (4)

Key additions in free agency

• QB Daniel Jones
• WR Alec Pierce
• DE Arden Key
• DE Michael Clemons
• CB Cam Taylor-Britt
• WR Nick Westbrook-Ikhine

2026 Draft class

• LB CJ Allen
• S A.J. Haulcy
• G Jalen Farmer
• LB Bryce Boettcher
• DE George Gumbs Jr.
• DE Caden Curry
• RB Seth McGowan
• WR Deion Burks

Key questions

• Can Daniel Jones get healthy and repeat his 2025 performance? Jones was not expected to be the Colts' starter. At best, the Colts were hoping he would push former No. 3 overall pick Anthony Richardson so the first-round talent the franchise hoped it was getting would materialize. That moment never came, however, and Jones objectively outplayed Richardson in camp. Jones was well on his way to having a career year prior to his torn Achilles. He had the Colts at 8-5 and was on pace to shatter his previous career highs in passing yards and touchdowns. Jones' injury did complicate things for the Colts, though, and they suffered down the stretch without him. He did enough to earn himself a second contract, but there are a few things to consider with Jones' future. First, an Achilles injury can be tricky to come back from, and even if he is ready for Week 1, it will take time for Jones to play at full strength. Second, while last season was great for Jones, his career as a whole has been more uneven with standout positives and low negatives. The AFC South looks to be one of the easier divisions in the league to win, but the Colts need Jones to replicate the success he had in 2025.

• Can Alec Pierce handle more responsibilities? The Colts' biggest moves of the offseason were re-signing two of their own. The first was inking Jones to a new deal, while the second was retaining Pierce to keep the quarterback's favorite target. There's no doubt that Pierce has talent; he's led the league in yards per reception over the last two seasons and has 17 touchdowns in the last four years. He seems to be a player on the rise with his first 1,000-yard season coming in 2025. It's a prove-it year for Pierce, though, and not just because he received one of the largest contracts of the offseason. He knows there will be more responsibilities placed on his shoulders. He has never caught more than 47 passes in a season, and there will be more attention placed on him from defenses now. Pierce isn't shying away from those challenges, but he undoubtedly needs to prove that he is worth the Colts' investments in him.

• Can Sauce Gardner get back to form? The Colts swung big last season by acquiring Gardner from the New York Jets at the trade deadline. They were 6-1 at the time and looked like one of the best teams in the conference, so adding one of the league's top cornerbacks, albeit for significant draft capital, seemed worth it. It might still be, but Gardner only played in four games with the Colts because of a leg injury. Gardner only had three pass deflections and 16 tackles in that span. The Colts need Gardner to return to the form he had earlier in his career, when he was a First Team All-Pro, not just for the sake of the defense, but also for the sake of the investments they made in him. He could seriously lift a unit that gave up the second-most passing yards in 2025, which would at least help them compete against the Houston Texans, who ended up winning the AFC South last season. There haven't been any reported complications or setbacks for Gardner, but he'll need to show that he's fully healthy to instill more confidence in his ability to help the team going forward.