Sam Howell needed one look at the Philadelphia Eagles’ defense on the final play of regulation to determine what he wanted to do. First, the Washington Commanders quarterback recognized the unit was in man-to-man coverage, which let him know offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy’s play call was the right one. Then, Howell scanned the field pre-snap, saw All-Pro Darius Slay on the left of the end zone and understood to avoid that side of the field.
As the ball snapped, Howell had his mind made up: He was going to target Jahan Dotson on the curl route.
With time expiring, Howell hit Dotson with a perfectly placed pass for the game-tying touchdown.
“He made some really quick decisions,” coach Ron Rivera said.
The touchdown to Dotson in Sunday’s 34-31 overtime loss to the Eagles was just one of the quick, decisive decisions the quarterback made that demonstrate the 23-year-old’s potential as a legit NFL starter.
The Commanders hardly took satisfaction Sunday in almost beating the Eagles.
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Rivera, Howell and others repeatedly said they didn’t view the loss as a moral victory. But the reason why that perception lingers — that the loss was indeed a moral victory — has a lot to do with the way Howell played. The 2022 fifth-rounder not only pushed the Commanders to take the reigning NFC champions to the edge, Howell bounced back with an emphatic performance a week after his worst outing as a professional.
In the ugly Week 3 loss to the Buffalo Bills, Howell took nine sacks and threw four interceptions.
Against the Eagles, he rebounded with a 290-yard performance in which he completed nearly 71% of his passes.
Through four games of his first full year as a starter, Howell has shown an ability to overcome his mistakes. There’s still plenty of season left, but that’s an encouraging sign for the Commanders — who are trying to determine whether Howell can truly be the team’s long-awaited solution to its quarterback woes.
“That’s what he does, honestly,” Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin said. “Because he’s such a student of the game, he’s a quick learner. He learns from his mistakes … It’s really cool to see his maturation process game after game.”
After reviewing the film Monday, Rivera said Howell experienced a lot of “good growth.” Howell processed reads faster, Rivera said, which kept the Eagles off balance. Beyond Howell’s late-game heroics, the quarterback also opened Sunday’s contest strong by leading back-to-back touchdown drives — something the Commanders hadn’t done since Week 1 of last season.
Assessing his team at nearly the quarter point of the season, Rivera said the Commanders are “growing and developing.” And as the season continues, Rivera said that will come “as Sam goes.” The Commanders have an experienced defense and a reliable supporting cast of playmakers, but Rivera’s comments reflect the reality that Washington’s chances this season will mostly come down to how Howell develops.
For all his growth Sunday, there are still issues that Howell will need to manage. Howell was sacked five times, bringing his season total to 24. That’s the third-most of a player since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, according to Stathead. Only former Houston Texans quarterback David Carr — with 27 in 2005 and 26 in 2002 — had been brought down more often. And while the offensive line does bear some responsibility for the sacks, a lot of them have fallen on the quarterback.
But the Commanders hope that can be addressed as Howell gains more experience. The 23-year-old, meanwhile, even impressed the Eagles with his bounce-back performance in Philadelphia.
Slay, Philadelphia’s top corner, noted how often Howell was able to extend plays with his legs and keep drives alive. He said it reminded him of Jalen Hurts, the Eagles quarterback who signed a five-year, $255 million contract in the offseason.
“They got a good future with him, man,” Slay said of Howell. “He got to keep working. But great game by him, man.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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