The Washington Commanders are headed back home with a frustrating loss to the Indianapolis Colts, but they're dealing with more than just a 1-3 start to the season.

Marcus Mariota left the field after the second drive in the Commanders' 30-13 loss to the Colts, leaving rookie seventh-round pick Athan Kaliakmanis to finish out the game. After zooming down the field on back-to-back possessions, the offensive production slowed to a crawl with a few sparks along the way, allowing the Colts to climb back from a one-score deficit and build a comfortable lead in the fourth quarter.

Mariota was diagnosed with a knee injury during the game. His status has yet to be determined for next week. Jayden Daniels is expected to be at practice on Wednesday.

Kaliakmanis finished the game 15-of-33 for 186 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

The Commanders also dealt with injuries to several other players. Jaylin Lane was carted off the field with an apparent leg injury. Charles Omenihu suffered a groin injury and was later ruled out. Sonny Styles, Amik Robertson and Jeremy Reaves all suffered injuries but returned to the game.

The Commanders needed to start fast against a Colts team that struggled with turnovers, and that's exactly what they did on the opening drive of the game. Odafe Oweh pushed a blocker into Daniel Jones, who fumbled the ball at the Colts' 21-yard line. The Commanders' offense couldn't move the ball, but they tacked on a field goal from Drew Stevens to go up by three points.

A Colts three-and-out led to another opportunity for the Commanders' offense, and they started out with a 35-yard run from Mariota. The offense got down to the Colts' 5-yard line when the play that changed the game occurred. Mariota was sacked for a six-yard loss on third down but was slow to get up. He went immediately to the blue medical tent and then to the locker room shortly after.

The Commanders had a 6-0 lead, though, and appeared to be ready to add more to it after Rasul Douglas got his first interception of the season. But the Commanders couldn't move the ball on the extra possession, which became a theme for the unit for the rest of the day, whether it was from pre-snap penalties, pressure from the Colts' defense or a lack of open lanes on the ground. They punted on their next three drives, while the Colts started to find a rhythm.

Following a failed fourth-down conversion attempt, the Colts moved 46 yards on nine plays. An unnecessary roughness penalty turned what would have been a field goal attempt into a fresh set of downs, and three plays later, Jonathan Taylor, who led the Colts with 95 yards, ran it in from five yards out.

The Colts ended the half with a field goal to make the score 10-6 at halftime.

Kaliakmanis opened the second half with a costly interception that led to another Taylor touchdown four plays later. But Kaliakmanis made up for the error on the following possession. Airing out a 47-yard touchdown pass to Treylon Burks -- his second of the season -- to cut the deficit back down to four points.

Aside from a 48-yard catch from Dyami Brown, the Commanders continued to struggle to move the ball downfield. There were a few gut punches along the way, like an 87-yard touchdown catch from Antonio Williams that was wiped away by an illegal shift. Meanwhile, the Colts continued to build on their lead with another 13 points, including a four-yard rushing touchdown from Jones.

The Commanders are back at Northwest Stadium for a division matchup against the New York Giants. It's still early in the season, but the Commanders could use a win after a difficult stretch.