LANDOVER, Md. — Reality checked in for Sam Howell and the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
There was plenty of “measuring stick” talk before Week 3’s matchup with the Buffalo Bills at FedExField. It wasn’t solely about whether Washington would beat a top AFC and Super Bowl contender. Instead, it was about whether, after consecutive comeback wins over the Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos with Howell, the Commanders could compete with one of the league’s heavyweights and, fingers crossed, open a season 3-0 for the first time since 2005.
Call Sunday’s 37-3 smackdown a one-off debacle if you want. Indeed, the players and coaches will, based on their long athletic careers of, “that’s why you play the game” competition. The Bills, a legit Super Bowl challenger, came loaded with star quarterback Josh Allen and a thumping defense.
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“It’s football,” head coach Ron Rivera said deep into his postgame news conference. “It’s going to happen. There aren’t a lot of guys that are going to go out there and always have success. … That’s why we got to stick to it.”
But the reasons behind the offensive debacle — a QB roller coaster and a leaky O-line (along with an unacceptable five turnovers) — were red flags months back. They poked their heads out for stretches in the first two games, but the defense, Howell’s grit and meh opposition (though props to the Cardinals for beating the Dallas Cowboys in Week 3) put those results in the win column.
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With five turnovers — four off Howell interceptions — nine sacks allowed, two early red zone visits resulting in zero points and the defense not close to saving the day, this showing went in the trash bin.
“Missed opportunities,” Rivera lamented when asked where Howell and the offense went wrong. “That’s the bottom line. … You can’t turn the ball over, which we did. If you lose the turnover battle like that, you’re going to get beat.”
Playing in his fourth career start amid wet conditions, gray skies and a sellout crowd — unofficially, the blue, white and Zubaz-wearing Buffalo fans had the slight majority in attendance and the clear edge in noise — Howell looked ready for the task early. Trailing 3-0, Howell moved Washington to Buffalo’s 21-yard line after completions of 10 and 21 yards. The next three plays set the gloomy tone.
Howell, who has a penchant for holding the ball too long as pressure nears, was sacked for losses of 8 and 1. On third-and-19, his pass over the middle intended for Dyami Brown landed in the hands of Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard.
TB with the INT‼️
📺: @CBS | @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/S1E5IBvN6S
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) September 24, 2023
Washington began its third drive at its 25 down 10-0 when Howell’s lob pass found Curtis Samuel for 37 yards. The mobile QB moved the ball to the Bills’ 6-yard line with a daring 18-yard run and hit tight end Cole Turner on second-and-goal for 5 yards to the 1. Punch this into the end zone and game on.
Instead, Brian Robinson’s carry over right tackle lost 1 yard, and Howell’s fourth-down pass under duress to Turner immediately lacked hope. As the snowball effect began, Washington’s plans for keeping pace also grew bleak.
Buffalo led 16-0 at halftime — Tyler Bass’ third field goal of the half came after Howell’s second interception gave the Bills possession at Washington’s 34 with 1:15 remaining —and 37-0 before Joey Slye’s 51-yard field goal ended the shutout with 46 seconds remaining.
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Howell went from receiving buzzy praise as perhaps the long-awaited answer for Washington’s QB woes to finishing 19 of 29 for 170 yards with zero touchdowns and those four interceptions.
“I gave up some situations where I was trying to get the ball out of my hands and trying to avoid a negative play, and I kind of forced something,” he said.
Even quarterbacks with dozens of game experience get jumpy when defenders with bad intentions don’t stop coming. The Bills also had 10 tackles for loss and 15 QB hits.
“It was tough, especially when … they know we’re in a passing situation,” Howell said.
Sam Howell on a rough outing: pic.twitter.com/h0RIx2YNPn
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) September 24, 2023
That is true, but the Commanders’ staff knew there would be games like this for the 2022 fifth-round pick. It’s why reinforcing an offensive line that surrendered 48 sacks last year rose to the top of the offseason to-do list once they chose Howell as likely QB1 in January.
Left tackle Charles Leno Jr. was the only returning starter at the same position following the shake-up. Center Nick Gates and right tackle Andrew Wylie signed via free agency, and Sam Cosmi bumped inside from tackle to guard. Yet many waited for more help to arrive, even as training camp concluded, based on the number of O-line questions lingering. Buffalo ran up Washington’s sacks allowed total to an incredible 19 through three games, tied for the most by any NFL team since the 2005 Houston Texans and fifth-most since sacks became an official statistic in 1982.
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“We take that personally,” Wylie said. “We got to do a better job keeping (Howell) upright. We got to do a better job getting him that extra tick, because he’s a baller. He’s trying to make plays; that’s what we need out of him.”
The Bills pressured Sam Howell on 27 of 39 dropbacks (69.2%), the 2nd-highest pressure rate in a game in the NGS era.
Seven different Bills defenders generated 4+ pressures, led by Ed Oliver (7).#BUFvsWAS | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/E2UmCy78PQ
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 24, 2023
Forget opposing pass rushers. Washington needs to avoid putting pressure on Howell internally.
Running back Antonio Gibson fumbled for the second time in three games after coughing the ball up too much over his first three seasons. His fourth-quarter blunder off a reception led to Allen’s 10-yard TD run for a 23-0 lead.
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Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, lauded for his scheming through two games, continued his pass-heavy approach in the first half. The outcome meant only 10 carries for Robinson, who averaged 7.0 yards per carry after rushing for two touchdowns and 87 yards at Denver. Washington trailed throughout, so the chance to batter the defense with the ground game never materialized.
The passing game stayed grounded. Terry McLaurin caught all six of his targets for a measly 6.8 yards per reception, while Jahan Dotson’s two receptions came long after Buffalo took control. Even when Howell fired toward one of his best receivers, it’s not like either was free and clear. Meanwhile, Buffalo’s Stefon Diggs had room to roam on his eight receptions — 12 targets — for 111 yards.
Washington’s defense allowed Buffalo to convert 6 of 8 third-down attempts to open the game, finishing at 9 of 15 (60 percent) overall. The Commanders went 1 of 9.
The best quarterbacks help lift an entire team and cover up weaknesses. Howell isn’t some flaw the team must hide, but he’s not ready to lead the way against the better squads. That’s no knock on him. Simply the reality for a team seeking its first winning record since 2016, including the past three seasons with Rivera.
“They came in here and whupped us,” McLaurin said. “You have to give them credit for that. … You never want to go out there and put on that showing. That’s not the team we are, but if we want to make sure that’s not who we are, we have to come back better next week.”
(Photo: Brad Mills / USA Today)
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