Dallas Cowboys Game Provides 'Opportunity to Reset' for Washington Commanders' Sam Howell

Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell is looking to offset a bad performance against the New York Giants with a better one against the Dallas Cowboys.

ASHBURN, Va. — The Washington Commanders (4-7) are looking to quickly wash the bad taste left behind after falling 31-19 at home to the New York Giants (3-8) who remain in last place in the NFC East Division after the win.

It’s not going to be easy for the Commanders to do so, however, with the Dallas Cowboys (7-3) waiting to host them for Thanksgiving and looking to keep pace with the NFL leading Philadelphia Eagles (9-1).

Not only is it a chance for Washington to get back in the win column, but an opportunity for quarterback Sam Howell to get back to what he was doing so well since the first time his squad fell to New York.

“He learns from those mistakes,” coach Ron Rivera said of Howell on Tuesday. “He stacked several good games in a row, so somewhere along the line he was going to have one that he was going to struggle with. So, just anticipating him to get an opportunity to reset himself and get himself ready to go and just got a lot of confidence in who he is.”

Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell (14) / Geoff Burke, USA Today

Two of Howell’s three worst quarterback ratings for a single game have come in the contests he started against the Giants this season, and he struggled similarly in both.

In fact, there’s only a 2.2 point difference between his two rating scores from each loss.

Similarly, the two ratings he earned from his matchups against the Eagles are both in the top half of his career performances thus far with five touchdown passes to just one interception against the division’s top team. 

If Howell’s pattern of play against NFC East teams continue, then perhaps last year’s Week 18 game against the Cowboys is a barometer for how he might produce this week.

In that game, Howell’s first as a starter, the quarterback completed just below 60 percent of his passes gaining 169 yards and throwing one touchdown and interception each. 

He earned an 83 quarterback rating (QBR0, Washington got the win, and the rest - as they say - is history.

For what it’s worth the Commanders are .500 when Howell has a QBR of 83 or better but have just one win when it’s lower.

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Similarly, Washington has scored 20 or more points in every game with Howell above an 83 QBR, and only once below that line.

If Howell can get his Commanders offense to over 20 points on the scoreboard then there’s a fighting chance and the fate of the contest will likely rest in the hands of the defense.