Ron Rivera Delivers Update on Washington Commanders' Sam Howell After Week 6 Win

Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera spoke about his young quarterback, Sam Howell, and his "efficient" performance against the Atlanta Falcons.

There’s no two ways about it: Sunday’s contest against the Atlanta Falcons game was a quintessential “ugly win” for the Washington Commanders.

The Commanders came away with the road victory, 24-16. They were outgained by more than 200 yards and lost the time of possession battle by 13 minutes, and yet, ended Sunday’s action with a .500 record.

Quarterback Sam Howell turned in another mild performance. He’s been decent, with flashes of advanced pocket passing and an unfortunate amount of elementary mistakes. That was no different on Sunday.

Howell delivers a pass while pressured against the Atlanta Falcons / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Head coach Ron Rivera spoke about Howell’s performance in the wake of Washington’s victory.

“I thought Sam was very efficient,” Rivera said. “That's probably the best way to put the way he played. His decision-making was for the most part, really good.”

To Howell’s credit, he did not turn the ball over against Atlanta. He was able to give star receiver Terry McLaurin the targets he warrants without putting the ball in harm’s way and was likely more efficient than his 60% completion percentage suggests.

However, Howell’s fatal flaw reared its head -- again.

“There was a couple times, obviously I'd like to see him get the ball out his hands a little bit quicker and not take the hits or sacks that he did,” Rivera added.

Howell took five sacks on Sunday. He’s been sacked at least four times in every game this year and leads the league with 34 through six weeks. Only 11 quarterbacks were sacked more over the course of the entire 2022 season.

Ultimately, though, Washington got the win and Howell did enough, regardless of how aesthetically pleasing it failed to be. He finished with 14 completions on 23 attempts for 151 yards and three scores.

“I think, again, protecting the football and making the decisions that he did,” Rivera concluded. “I thought he handled those very well.”

Howell has adequately kept a shaky Commanders team on track throughout the first portion of the season. Against a beleaguered New York Giants team in Week 7, he’ll have the chance to stay upright and deliver one of his better performances of the season.