Sam Howell entered his first NFL game after halftime in Washington’s preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers. Howell started slowly, likely due to Washington’s plan to give him some easy, high-percentage throws.
However, Washington’s coaches turned Howell loose in the fourth quarter, with the Commanders trailing 20-6. Suddenly, Howell let the ball rip, looking downfield first before scanning the field to find an open receiver. His arm strength was on full display.
After moving the ball downfield with relative ease, Howell finished off consecutive drives with touchdown runs, displaying his athleticism. After the second touchdown run, Howell found wide receiver Alex Erickson for a two-point conversion to give the Commanders a 21-20 lead.
While Washington would eventually lose the game on a last-minute field goal, it was an impressive debut for Howell.
How did the folks at Pro Football Focus view Howell’s performance? In his game recap, Sam Monson says the following about Howell:
Rookie Sam Howell entered in the third quarter and impressed. In addition to his 143 passing yards, he produced two rushing touchdowns and a go-ahead two-point conversion late in the game.
Meanwhile, on Monday, another PFF analyst, Kevin Cole, tweeted a graphic showing each young quarterback’s passing grades and efficiency from Week 1 of the preseason. He saw Howell’s performance differently, which he explained in a follow-up tweet.
Preseason PFF passing grades and efficiency (AY/A) for young QBs. Going to guess Lance's efficiency isn't sustainable pic.twitter.com/cfeTx0lmHJ
— Kevin Cole (@KevinColePFF) August 15, 2022
His thoughts on Howell’s lower grade:
A lot of question on the lower grade for Howell here:
1) We logged him with two turnover worthy throws on 18 attempts. That's going to severely lower passing grade. Neither ended up an actual INT
2) Passing grade only. Doesn't include his rushing grade which was much better
— Kevin Cole (@KevinColePFF) August 15, 2022
PFF often sees things differently — and they aren’t wrong. They aren’t always right, either. Howell wasn’t perfect in his first game, but he flashed multiple traits that have Washington fans excited for the future.
All in all, it was a terrific debut for Howell.
