Washington Commanders' Ron Rivera on Sam Howell Benching - 'I Wanted to Take Care of Him!'
The life of a rookie quarterback isn't for the faint-hearted, and for Sam Howell, in the Washington Commanders' 28-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, this was true.
Howell struggled mightily at SoFi Stadium and was ultimately benched after completing just 11 of his 26 passes for 102 yards, along with a touchdown and an interception.
For head coach Ron Rivera, it was his decision to pull Howell from the game.
“It was me,” Rivera said. “Just wanted to take care of him.”
Howell has shown good glimpses of his talent throughout the season, but as with most young quarterbacks, their form line resembles a roller coaster and this rings true with Howell.
Still coming to terms with what it takes to be an NFL starter, Howell has been a lamb to the slaughter at times this season.
With the Rams clearly smelling blood in the water, as Howell this season has been sacked far too often, Rivera says that he didn't want something bad to happen by leaving Howell in the game.
"Just really trying to take care of him a little bit, didn't want to see anything crazy happen," Rivera said.
Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell (14) moves out to pass against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half at SoFi Stadium.
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
While Howell struggled, Jacoby Brissett came in and looked the part, completing eight of his 10 passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns as the Commanders made an unlikely final-quarter comeback.
With Brissett taking charge and Howell struggling, naturally questions over Howell's tenure as the starter for the rest of the season will be asked.
But when asked if Howell is still the team's starter, Rivera was very definitive in his response.
"Yes he is," Rivera said.
The Commanders are now on a five-game losing streak and travel to face the New York Jets next as they look to try and salvage something from the season.
