Sam Howell continues to stand out as the season progresses
Commanders quarterback Sam Howell has thrown for 300 yards in three consecutive games, the first time a Washington quarterback has done so since Kirk Cousins in 2015. When you think about the quarterbacks who have thrown for 300 yards since Cousins departed, Alex Smith has done it three times in 18 games, Case Keenum twice in ten games, Dwayne Haskins once in 16 games, Taylor Heinicke once in 26 games, and Wentz three times in eight games.
In total, in the 98 games (pre-2023 season) that Washington has played since Cousins moved on to Minnesota, there have just been 10 games where a quarterback has thrown for 300 yards. Alternatively, Howell has thrown for 300 yards four times ten games into the season. Howell’s development has come to be the sole storyline as weeks go on, and his leadership and composure on the Commanders last two drives, both of which led to a touchdown, were big-time, must-have moments for a young quarterback who has never experienced a massive road game at Lumen Field (formerly known as Century Link). According to Washington public relations, Howell became the eighth player in NFL history to have four games of 300-plus passing yards in their first 11 career games and the first to do so since Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert in 2020.
Obviously, Eric Bieneimy’s tendencies allow Howell to drop back as many times as he does, as he is currently averaging 39 pass attempts per game, but an offensive coordinator is not putting that type of workload on a quarterback who is incapable of moving the football like Howell is through the air. Let’s go back to the list of quarterbacks since Cousins has left to prove that 300-yard pass games do not come by easy for any quarterback, so what Howell is doing in Bieniemy’s offense is worth recognizing.
It was a tough battle on the road against the Seattle Seahawks, and the Commanders fell short, losing 29-26. Catch the latest Trap or Dive post-game recap, where AJ, Dre, and I break down everything that went down in the game, from Howell down to the second-half defensive letdown.
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