Commanders' Sam Howell on Bills Defense: 'They Have The Advantage'

The Buffalo Bills defense sacked Sam Howell nine times and forced five turnovers in their 37-3 win over the Washington Commanders.

The Buffalo Bills' defense put together a historic performance against the Washington Commanders and Sam Howell in their 37-3 win at FedEx Field on Sunday.

Seemingly every time Howell dropped back to pass, he was either getting sacked or throwing an interception. Howell completed 19 of 29 passes for 170 yards with four interceptions and was sacked nine times by the Bills (2-1). His nine-sack and four-interception performance made him the first player to have that stat line since Warren Moon did it against the Dallas Cowboys in 1985, according to CBS Sports.

Nine sacks is the most Buffalo has had in a game since Jan. 1, 2022, when they also had nine sacks against the New York Jets. Buffalo's nine-sack performance was tied for the third-most in franchise history. Buffalo had 10 sacks against Washington on Oct. 30, 2011, and 11 against the Denver Broncos on  Dec. 13, 1964. 

“Yeah, it was tough, especially when you get in a situation where you're down a few touchdowns at the end of the game and they know we're in a passing situation," Howell said. "They have the advantage as far as the pass rush goes. I’ve just got to do a better job and maybe we can do some things better, and try to limit the sacks. That’s definitely something we have to clean up.”

Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell sacked by two Buffalo Bills defenders / USA Today

Howell was pressured on 27 of his 39 dropbacks, according to Next Gen Sports. A 69.2 percent pressure rate is the second-highest they've charted since they began keeping the stat.

Buffalo is tied for second in the NFL with 12 sacks. Linebacker Terrel Bernard and defensive end Leonard Floyd each had two sacks, while defensive tackles DaQuan Jones and Ed Oliver had 1.5. Defensive ends Gregory Rousseau and A.J. Epenesa each had one. 

Bernard also had an interception and Epenesa had one, which he ran back for a touchdown. Tre'Davious White and Micah Hyde also had interceptions. 

Through three games, Buffalo's defense has been one of the best units in football. However, the Bills defense will face one of their stiffest tests of the season on Sunday when they face the undefeated Miami Dolphins (3-0) at 1 p.m. at Highmark Stadium. Miami's offense is averaging just over 43 points per game and was a field goal shy of scoring the most points in a game in their 70-20 win over the Denver Broncos.