Athan Kaliakmanis entered his rookie year as the third-string quarterback on the Washington Commanders depth chart after fighting just to make the roster.
Yet before the first quarter was over in Week 4 in London, he was thrust to center stage under center against the Indianapolis Colts.
With Jayden Daniels not fit to return after dislocating his elbow in Week 2, Marcus Mariota started the game but was knocked out with a knee injury after being sacked in the first quarter.
It put Kaliakmanis, a seventh-round pick in the most recent NFL Draft, into the game as he became the first Rutgers quarterback in 21 years to throw a pass in an NFL game.
He quickly received his ‘welcome to the NFL’ moment, being rocked by a brutal hit by 6ft 7in, 300lb defensive lineman DeForest Buckner shortly after entering the game.
Kaliakmanis was hit hard as he released the ball in his midsection, being sent flying to the ground as Buckner escaped a flag for unnecessary roughness.
Rookie quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis quickly had his ‘welcome to the NFL’ moment in London
Kaliakmanis was hit hard by DeForest Buckner moments after entering his first NFL game
This hit from Buckner �� @INDvsWAS on NFL Network Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/qqdwtTiIve
— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2026
It proved a sign of things to come as the Commanders offensive line struggled to live with the Colts’ front in a first half dominated by defense on both sides of the ball.
Kaliakmanis pulled himself off the turf after taking several big hits, ending the first half 6-12 passing for 33 yards as the Colts entered with a 10-6 lead thanks to Jonathan Taylor’s touchdown.
Head coach Dan Quinn confirmed as teams returned for the second half that Mariota was ruled out but declared ‘confidence in AK’, calling on his team to play ‘complementary football’ for the rest of the game.
The rookie threw an interception on the first drive of the second half. But he bounced back to find Treylon Burks on a deep throw for a 47-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
Quinn rejected the idea of adding another veteran quarterback after Daniels’ recent injury.
‘It’s not something that [General Manager Adam Peters] AP and I have discussed today as we’re going.’ Quinn said. ‘So, I think we’re gonna wait until we get all the info over the next two days and really have a sense for the timelines and that kind of stuff.
‘I thought, like most things, man, let’s take all the time we can to get it just right. But in the meantime, Marcus will start this weekend.’
With Mariota and Daniels both out, backup tight end Colson Yankoff, a former four-star recruit as a quarterback in high school, was next in line for the Commanders.
Kaliakmanis continued to find himself under a lot of pressure from the Colts pass rush
Kaliakmanis has been preparing like he is the starter in anticipation of finding himself playing
But Kaliakmanis tried to show his poise in the face of pressure after being thrown into the fire having beaten out Sam Hartman for the third-string job in pre-season.
After Daniels got hurt, Kaliakmanis admitted he was preparing himself for this very scenario.
‘You just never know. You never know what’s going to happen; you never know when it’s going to be your time,’ Kaliakmanis told reporters. ‘So I’m just preparing like I am the starter.
‘I’m preparing like I am the starter, so when I am, or if I am one day, if I get that opportunity, then I don’t have to do anything different; I can just go with my routine now.’
During training camp, while battling to make the roster, the two-year Rutgers starter said he was: ‘Just constantly getting better, striving towards perfection, even though it’s not attainable.
‘I think it just goes into your preparation. Having confidence in your preparation, knowing that I don’t need to be a superhero today. I just need to trust the game plan. I need to trust my teammates and go out there and execute.’
