'Got To Play Better!' Sam Howell Reacts to Benching in Washington Commanders' Loss
Little is certain about the future of the quarterback position for the Washington Commanders.
Second-year passer Sam Howell was given the opportunity to cement himself as Washington’s franchise quarterback this season, but the results have been markedly below average, interrupted by some legitimately star-worthy throws.
Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell (14) throws the ball against the Los Angeles Rams in the first half at SoFi Stadium.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Those inconsistencies persisted into Week 15 where, after struggling through three quarters, he was benched in favor of Jacoby Brissett. The veteran backup shined in relief, completing eight of 10 passes for 124 yards and two scores. He was efficient, aggressive, and funneled targets to receiver Terry McLaurin in the way fans expected – finishing with 12 targets for six catches, 141 yards, and a score.
Ultimately, Washington would fall to the Los Angeles Rams, 28-20.
Head coach Ron Rivera joined Brissett in saying that Howell’s benching was a matter of protecting him from a Rams defense that knew Washington would be in pass-heavy situations. Nevertheless, benching a young passer attempting to prove himself as a franchise quarterback isn’t ideal.
Howell was poised when asked about his temporary relegation.
“Just kind of how the game was going,” Howell said. “Yeah, they just kind of told me they were going to take me out there. But it is what it is. I got to play better. We had some things there on offense and we did some good things throughout the game, but just wasn't good enough.”
Howell, facing a Los Angeles secondary that has had its fair share of struggles, was unable to find any consistency. He completed just 11 of his 26 attempts for 102 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.
“I got to play better, got to execute better,” Howell said. “So it is what it is. I know I'm not defined by this one game or anything like that. So keep going, keep trying to get better.”
One aspect of Howell’s game that has improved is his proclivity for taking sacks. He was once on pace to obliterate the sack record – and is still setting the pace with 59 – but has managed to mitigate that fault a bit. He took just one sack on Sunday and hasn’t taken five in a game since Week 7, which ended a five-game streak of taking at least five sacks.
It’s a small bar to clear, but improvement is appreciated in any form. His makeup and response to adversity have been admirable, though it doesn’t clarify much for the Commanders' decision-makers.
Howell has been far from a disaster but has been unconvincing as a franchise building block. Unless he stacks a couple of wins in the final three weeks of the season, Washington will very much be in play for a new quarterback come April.
