Londoners may embrace American football after witnessing an unusual play in Sunday's Week 4 matchup between the Washington Commanders and Indianapolis Colts. The Colts cruised to a 30-13 victory at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but the Commanders gained one of their dozen first downs in bizarre fashion. Against all odds, an offensive lineman caught a pass for a 13-yard gain.
Filling in for an injured Marcus Mariota, who was replacing Jayden Daniels, rookie Athan Kaliakmanis had a pass tipped at the line of scrimmage late in the fourth quarter. The Colts appeared to get a golden opportunity to pick off the seventh-round pick, but a defender collided with a teammate while attempting a leaping catch. The deflected ball ricocheted right into the hands of 320-pound tackle Brandon Coleman, who dragged several defenders beyond the marker for a fresh set of downs.
Here's a look at the wild sequence: The Athletic's Ben Standig noted that Coleman left the game with an apparent injury after the improbable reception, but he returned after missing just one play. His catch likely won't gain the same immortality as The Immaculate Reception, as a turnover on downs ended Washington's final drive of the game. It was still a fun moment for a Commanders offense down to their third quarterback after Mariota left with a knee injury in the first quarter.
Kaliakmanis completed 15 of 33 passes for 186 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. Daniel Jones surrendered a pick and a fumble, but Jonathan Taylor powered the Colts to their second victory with 95 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Despite the lopsided final score, Indianapolis collected fewer total yards (257) than Washington (317).
The Commanders will try to leverage some more conventional offensive into a victory when they return from across the pond to play the New York Giants in Week 5.
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