Commanders Need 'Some Patience' With QB Sam Howell

The Washington Commanders got their season off to a winning start, defeating the Arizona Cardinals 20-16 in what was quarterback Sam Howell's second regular-season start.

Naturally, there will be ups and downs as Howell comes to grips with being the starting quarterback for Eric Bieniemy's offense, and on Sunday, it was anything but smooth.

With the Commanders behind 16-10 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, Howell led a drive that ended with him taking a 6-yard run for a score. For coach Ron Rivera, it was a difficult balancing act between being patient with Howell as he went through his struggles and wanting to win the game.

“I think you have to have some patience with him, but again, in the back of your mind, you always do think about, hey, we've got to do something to win," Rivera said. "I think as you go through it and you progress and you know when certain things happen early on, you go, okay, we got it. We're doing it. We just got to get the rhythm going. We'll look at it. Each game will have its own personality, its own characteristics as to how things flow.”

Howell would end up steadying the ship as he led two fourth-quarter drives that ended in a touchdown and field goal to escape with a Week 1 win.

That was despite Howell throwing an interception and getting sacked six times in what was a brutal introduction to the season. But, as Rivera has previously stated, Howell's resilience has been a "trademark" of his, and that proved correct on Sunday.

However, Commanders fans will not want Howell to be in spots where he has to fight against the tide during games.

For Rivera, Howell's internal clock needs to be kicked up a gear, but he made a point of exactly where the quarterback is in his career.

“He’s learning,” Rivera said. “It’s just the process now lining up and doing it.”

Up next is a trip to Mile High to face the Denver Broncos as the Washington offense looks to iron out the inconsistencies in their game in what can be a brutal environment.

But with Howell's resiliency and growth, coupled with Biemiemy dialing up the plays, fans are hoping for a far cleaner game out of their quarterback come Sunday.