To say this season has been a roller coaster for Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell would be an understatement. But what did you expect from a player with only one NFL start on his resume entering this season?
However, for anyone who has watched Washington’s games this season, the good has far outweighed the bad with the young passer.
Through 11 games, Howell has completed 66.5% of his passes with 3,339 yards, 18 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Seven of Howell’s 13 interceptions have been in two games.
Howell has received plenty of praise from analysts, who believe he’s Washington’s long-sought answer at quarterback. Others want to see more.
Neither opinion is wrong. New owner Josh Harris may focus his upcoming GM search on candidates who either want to build around Howell or have the autonomy to select a quarterback if they choose.
How does Howell rank among other quarterbacks?
Nick Shook of NFL.com shares his weekly QB Index ahead of every week’s slate of games. He ranks all 32 starters from 1-32, and the rankings change week to week.
Where was Howell for Week 12?
Shook ranked Howell No. 16, down three spots from last week.
Whew, talk about highs and lows. Let’s get the bad stuff out of the way first: Howell threw three interceptions against the Giants, with his last one — a pick-six — sealing the game. He appeared to be attempting to throw the ball away under pressure on that play. He took unnecessary risks on all of the INTs, a product of New York constantly harassing him with a ferocious front that doesn’t always produce but seems to show up against Washington. Howell did some good things, naturally, throwing a sharp touchdown pass to Jahan Dotson and scrambling for a gutsy touchdown run. But the bad outweighed the good, a rare result for a quarterback who seemed to be ascending prior to Sunday.
EDITOR’S UPDATE: Howell was held to zero TD passes in Washington’s loss to the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day, completing the Commanders’ only touchdown drive of the game with a ground score shortly before halftime.
Howell played well in the first half vs. the Cowboys. Unfortunately for Howell, Washington’s pass protection struggled to protect him in the second half, allowing the Cowboys to blow the game open. Howell’s lone turnover came late after the game was already decided.
Shook has recently kept Howell ranked among the top half of NFL quarterbacks. If you had asked any Washington fan if they would be happy with that ahead of the season, all would have said yes. Most would’ve believed the Commanders would be competing for a playoff spot as no one foresaw Washington’s epic defensive collapse in 2023.
