National Football League

Sam Howell experiences growing pains in Commanders' loss: 'It starts with me'

Published Sep. 24, 2023 6:31 p.m. ET

LANDOVER, Md. — Ron Rivera knew there'd be days like this. Sam Howell probably knew it too.

That was always the risk of entrusting this critical Washington Commanders season to a second-year quarterback with one start under his belt. He would show flashes of brilliance. He'd have moments that would make everyone feel good about the future. He'd probably even win more than a few games along the way.

But when it comes to young, inexperienced NFL quarterbacks, the truth is unavoidable: What goes up will always crash back down.

"Yes, it's football. It's going to happen," Rivera said after Howell and the Commanders crashed back to Earth on Sunday at FedEx Field with a four-interception disaster and a 37-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills. "There aren't a lot of guys that can go out there and always have success. You've got to learn and grow. You learn from the losses as well as you learn from the wins."

Well, that's certainly one way to look at the bright side. The 23-year-old Howell has a ton to learn after his first, official NFL nightmare. He completed 19 of 29 passes for 170 yards against a really good Bills defense, but he also threw those four interceptions. Not that this disaster was all his fault. He was also sacked a ridiculous nine times.

That all absolutely exposed the Commanders (2-1) for what they probably are, after their rousing 2-0 start to the season. It didn't douse all the good feelings they've been bathing in since the day Josh Harris closed on his $6.05 billion purchase of the star-crossed franchise, but it certainly was a reality check and a reminder that they're a team with major issues, especially along the offensive line.

And if they can't fix that line quickly, they're really going to have a problem developing Howell into the quarterback they think he can be.

"Sam's a great quarterback and a tough kid, man," said Commanders right tackle Andrew Wylie. "As an offensive line, that's on our unit. We take that personally. We've got to do a better job of keeping him upright. We've got to do a better job of getting him that extra tick. He's a baller. He's trying to make plays, you know what I mean?"

He certainly was trying. But a young quarterback under siege in a collapsing pocket is just a bad recipe all around. Veteran quarterbacks might be able to figure their way out of trouble, or at least find a way to not make everything worse. But the Bills pressure led to some really terrible decisions by the inexperienced Howell, not to mention bad throws.

His interceptions seemed to get uglier as the game went on.

"There were situations where I was trying to get the ball out of my hands and trying to avoid a negative play and I just kind of forced something," Howell said. "And it wasn't a good decision."

That was about as close as he'd come to criticizing his line, but that did fairly and accurately connect the dots because every pick he threw was either a direct or indirect result of pressure. The first came after back-to-back sacks when he was just trying to make something happen downfield and couldn't get his pass over Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard. The second came with a defender in his face and Howell leaning backwards as he lobbed a pass toward the sideline into the hands of Bills safety Micah Hyde.

The third came on a throw that he got off a split second before he got hit. With the pressure, he couldn't even reach Curtis Samuel in the end zone and Bills corner Tre'Davious White jumped in front and picked the ball off at the 1. And the last one came when Howell escaped trouble in the pocket, scrambled to his left, and tried to lob a pass to Jahan Dotson, but Bills linebacker A.J. Espenesa jumped up right in front of the quarterback, grabbed the ball, and returned it 30 yards for a Pick-6.

"Obviously, a lot of things didn't go right today and it starts with me," Howell said. "But the good thing is the sun will come up tomorrow."

Actually, his teammates did their best to try to let the sunshine into the postgame locker room, praising Howell for taking a licking and keeping on ticking. There's a lot they've loved about him in the early part of this season: His moxy, his calm demeanor, his ability to make smart decisions and strong throws. Now they can add toughness and poise to his resume, too.

"He kept his poise," said running back Antonio Gibson. "Through a storm like that, that was real tough and he didn't switch up on anybody. He didn't change his character and he stuck it out all the way to the last possession. That's tremendous to me because that was a tough one."

Added receiver Terry McLaurin: "It was a tough day for all of us. It's not just on him. You're going to have tough days at the office. Some ugly other than others."

All quarterbacks experience that — especially the young ones. Even in a season where Rivera knows, deep down, that he has to win to keep his job, he knew that starting a young quarterback would be a season-long roller coaster ride. His only hope was that the peaks would outnumber the stomach-churning drops, and that the ride would be a little less bumpy by season's end.

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But it's still early, so yes, Rivera knew this was coming. It probably won't be the last time Howell gets kicked around either, especially playing behind an offensive line that has now given up 19 sacks through the first three games. All he can do is ride it out. And all the Commanders can do is grin and bear it, live and learn, and hope Howell — who isn't going anywhere — learns something too.

"He's still learning," Rivera said. "He's a young guy. And he's got to play."

"He holds himself to a high standard and we hold him to a high standard," McLaurin added. "I know he's going to look himself in the mirror and see how he can come back and get better. But the other position groups have to do a better job of helping him out."

Ralph Vacchiano is the NFC East reporter for FOX Sports, covering the Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.