Washington Commanders QB Sam Howell Strong in 1st Half vs. Atlanta Falcons
The Washington Commanders are heading to the locker room with a xx-10 lead against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday afternoon at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
While the Commanders trailed at the end of the first quarter, Washington picked it back up with two drives in the second quarter that ended in Sam Howell touchdown passes.
Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell (14) throws a pass against the Atlanta Falcons in the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
The first of Howell's scores came with 11:47 left in the half on a 1-yard pass to running back Antonio Gibson. The Commanders had wonderful field position after Jamison Crowder returned a punt for 61 yards. That started the drive on the Falcons' 11-yard line, making it easy for the Commanders to score.
On the team's next possession, the Commanders also had good field position after the defense turned the ball over on downs at around midfield. This set up a 7-play, 52-yard drive that ended in a 7-yard touchdown to receiver Curtis Samuel, his third score in as many weeks.
Atlanta responded to the 14 unanswered points with a 47-yard field goal from Younghoe Koo inside the two minute warning. Howell had a chance to add even more points on the board, but the Falcons defense sacked him on the first two plays of the drive, killing any momentum for the Commanders to score late in the first half.
Howell has completed 12 of 18 passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns. Through seven career games, Howell has thrown for 1,602 yards, the most for any quarterback in franchise history in that span of time.
Washington is in the driver's seat, but Howell will have to keep his foot on the gas if the Commanders want to win the game.
The Falcons will receive the ball when the teams return to the field for the second half.
