DENVER — If there were ever a moment designed to rattle Sam Howell, a sequence to shake the Washington Commanders quarterback’s steadiness, then the Denver Broncos’ Hail Mary in the final seconds should have done it. After all, a 50-yard bomb to bring the Broncos within two as time expired? If he wasn’t nervous at that moment, then when?
Instead, the Commanders’ defense made a stop on the ensuing two-point attempt and Washington held on for a 35-33 victory.
Then again, the unflappable Howell more than likely was game for overtime had the Broncos punched in the two-point conversion.
Washington’s second-year quarterback wasn’t fazed early on when the Commanders were down 18 points in the second quarter. Nor was he flustered when he was sacked four times.
“I thought he was pretty resilient,” coach Ron Rivera said.
The way that coaches and teammates talk about Howell’s poise, it can be easy at first to dismiss as a quarterback cliche. But that poise, steadiness or whatever you want to call it was among the reasons the Commanders put their faith in a 23-year-old to lead their offense in 2023. And Howell rewarded that trust again Sunday — leading Washington to a second straight comeback win.
The Commanders are now 2-0 for the first time since 2011. Both victories required them to fight back, to dig deep in moments that seemed like the game was slipping away. In both games, Howell has delivered in those moments. Against the Broncos, he was even better, leading the Commanders back from a 21-3 deficit.
Howell finished with 299 yards and two touchdowns on 29 of 37 passing. He had a passer rating of 109.8 — the highest by a Washington quarterback in a victory since Taylor Heinicke in a November 2021 game against the Carolina Panthers.
“When a guy can maintain that poise in front of his teammates, it really helps them,” Rivera said. “He’s very unflappable. He really handled it really, really well. I think his teammates feed off of it. It was exciting to see some of the things he did today because those are the things we are going to build on.”
“We made the plays we needed to make,” Howell said.
The Commanders can learn a lot about Howell in situations like this. As much as they have confidence in him, Howell still has to prove he’s worth building around. This is a franchise that has had a different Week 1 starting quarterback every year since Kirk Cousins left in 2018. Howell’s rookie scale contract could be a huge asset in helping the Commanders build an eventual contender, but that won’t happen if Howell doesn’t deliver consistently. So far, the early returns are promising.
No area of Sunday’s game appeared to test Howell’s poise more frequently than the pocket. All afternoon, the Broncos’ defensive line took an aggressive approach — honing in on the quarterback within seconds. But more than not, Howell embraced the literal pressure. He stood calmly, scanning his reads.
And no play demonstrated that steadiness more than the quarterback’s 30-yard bomb to wide receiver Terry McLaurin for a touchdown. That third-quarter score — tying the game — happened even as defenders were closing in on both Howell and McLaurin. But Howell heaved the ball to McLaurin, who was sandwiched between two defenders.
Howell wouldn’t be the first Washington quarterback to rely on McLaurin in a crunch. But this play differed from some of the other gaudy passes that the Pro Bowl receiver has hauled in. Heinicke, for instance, even made a t-shirt with the phrase, “[Screw] it, Terry’s down there somewhere.”
On this occasion, Howell knew McLaurin would be there. It wasn’t just a guess or a desperation throw hoping he would be there. Howell said he recognized the Broncos were in quarters coverage, adding that particular play call was one they had practiced all week. The 2022 fifth-rounder stayed patient — he waited for the safety to drop just enough — and let his receiver get to his spot.
“I trusted me and Sam were going to connect on that play,” McLaurin said. “I just wanted to keep my route thin over the top of the safety. I trust my speed to beat the outside corner and the safety, and Sam threw an unbelievable ball. … I hope that continues to build his confidence.”
Through two games, staying too long in the pocket has also been to Howell’s detriment. Rivera said early on, the North Carolina product failed to make quick decisions consistently enough — which again led to the quarterback taking sacks that weren’t entirely on the offensive line.
But Rivera credited Howell for making adjustments. He saw his passer throw the ball away faster as the action went on. Howell, too, used his legs to escape pressure. Shortly before McLaurin’s 30-yard catch, Howell set up that play by rushing for 11 yards on third-and-10 to move the chains.
Howell’s play, of course, wasn’t the only reason the Commanders came from behind to win. Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy tailored the offense to help the quarterback out as much as possible — calling a series of screen plays that gashed the Broncos’ defense and relying on the run heavily once the game got close. Running back Brian Robinson had 129 yards (87 rushing, 42 receiving) from the line of scrimmage.
The Commanders’ defense, after a slow start, refocused and put their imprint on Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson. Even Chase Young, returning from a stinger injury, had an impressive season debut — matching his 2021 sack total with 1½ sacks. The unit forced two turnovers and sacked Wilson seven times.
Coincidentally, Howell spoke earlier this week about how while growing up, he looked up to Wilson — the quarterback that Washington pursued last year before trading for Carson Wentz instead. “I liked the way he played the game, Howell said. A game that includes 27 fourth-quarter comebacks.
Against one of his idols, Howell led Washington’s largest road comeback since 1990.
“That’s who this team is,” Howell said. “This is a resilient team.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.