Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell made the second start of his NFL career on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals in front of a sold-out crowd at FedEx Field.
Howell had some good moments, passing for one touchdown and rushing for the game-deciding touchdown in the fourth quarter. He made some mistakes, throwing one interception and had one ugly fumble near the goal line that gave the Cardinals their only touchdown of the day.
Buy Commanders TicketsHowell was sacked six times and hit several more. He kept getting back up and showed no fear, often an uncommon trait for a young quarterback.
That type of resilience gets the attention of his teammates, including veteran left tackle Charles Leno Jr. Leno was asked about Howell after the game and, when talking about his quarterback, had a huge smile across his face.
“I’m smiling because he’s the same guy every single day,” Leno said. It’s absolutely insane. He threw the pick; he’s like, ‘whatever,’ goes right back to the huddle, calls the play. Sack, fumble, ok, whatever. Go back to the huddle, call the play. He’s the same guy, unshaken, unfazed.”
That’s what you want in a quarterback, right?
“Absolutely, I love that about him,” Leno said.
This is very encouraging about Commanders QB Sam Howell.
He got sacked. He had turnovers, but Charles Leno said nothing changed about his demeanor in the huddle.
Leno said, "I'm smiling because he's the same guy every single day. Unshaken. Unfazed." pic.twitter.com/NZTzG9tewb
— Scott Abraham (@Scott7news) September 10, 2023
Leno is in his 10th NFL season. He’s seen a lot. He’s been around a lot. That’s big praise coming from a veteran offensive lineman.
And in case you missed it earlier in the game, Washington players made it clear how they felt about Howell after Arizona linebacker Kyzir White hit him late out of bounds.
This hit on Sam Howell 😳
pic.twitter.com/AiIcAtyVIZ— PFF (@PFF) September 10, 2023
