Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell had his “Welcome to the NFL” moment as the Commanders(2-1) were routed by the Buffalo Bills 37-3 on Sunday at FedExField.
Coming into Sunday’s game against the Bills, Howell was undefeated as a starter(3-0) and has played reasonably well. However, he was off against Buffalo.
The second-year quarterback completed 19/29 passes for 170 yards and four interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown.
Despite his struggles, Commanders head coach Ron Rivera kept Howell in the game, and he explained why on Monday.
“Well, right now we are 2-1,” Rivera said. “Sam’s won three games in four starts. So, we’ll just continue to go from there and see how things go. We kept Sam in because we felt the only way he’s going to grow and get better is to play. That’s why we did what we did.”
According to Rivera, Howell was a little indecisive on Sunday.
“I think the biggest thing is just, again, sometimes he gets a little indecisive,” Rivera said. “He gets through his progression, and he’s a little bit of a hiccup, and sometimes he’s just got to trust it and go ahead and go with it, and other times just get rid of the ball.”
The 23-year-old was sacked nine times by the Bills, some of that was on the offensive line, while other times it was a case of Howell holding the ball too long. Going forward, Rivera knows Howell has to get the ball out sooner.
“You’d like him to reach the ball before he gets hit,” Rivera said. “Sure. I’m being serious. Whether that’s in your mindset saying, okay, there is a two-and-a-half second clock, which we all know and understand and believe in, but at the same time, because of his agility and abilities, sometimes he can extend the play and which we’ve seen, and we’ve seen him do it successfully. But we’ve also seen it where there’s that little hesitation; it’s cost him a little bit. So again, we wanted to continue to go with the clock in his head, but at the same time, we don’t want him to miss opportunities if they’re there. Upfront, we’d like to hold our blocks a little bit longer if we can.”
Things will only get more challenging for Howell and the Commanders as they travel to Philadelphia to face the undefeated Eagles, who have one the best pass rushes in the NFL. First, the offensive line has to be better, and next, Howell has to get the ball out quickly. Otherwise, he could have another long day at the office.
Leave a Reply