Washington Commanders QB Sam Howell Continues Frustrating Up-And-Down Trend

Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell came into Week 8 against the Philadelphia Eagles looking to snap a troubling trend.

LANDOVER, Md. -- The Washington Commanders have had an up-and-down season and no player embodies that reality more than second-year quarterback Sam Howell in his half-by-half performances this season.

In nearly every game this season the Commanders' first-year starter has had one half with solid production and the other that would rate as mediocre or worse.

That trend continued in Week 7 when Howell threw for 249 yards and a touchdown in the game but led Washington to a loss due in large part to just 60 yards thrown and an interception from the quarterback.

Looking to shake off the bad vibes carried over from losing to the New York Giants last week Howell also needed to break free from his own up-and-down performances. 

Of course, a bad first half last week meant the trend should produce a solid one in this one and that pattern followed suit as Howell tossed two touchdowns and created 226 yards of offense while having just two incompletions before halftime.

On top of it all, Howell wasn't sacked one time in the first half.

Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell (14) passes the ball against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first quarter at FedExField / Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

With a solid second half needed to secure the victory for the Commanders, the game flow wasn't kind to the quarterback's in-game goals. 

After driving the ball down to the Washington one-yard line Philadelphia fumbled while attempting their infamous 'tush push' and turned the ball over inside the red zone for the second time in the game. 

Getting the ball on your own one-yard line doesn't usually lead to much success and Howell produced just 29 yards and a punt.

But it didn't take long for Howell to get to work undoing the back-and-forth habit he'd developed throwing for 49 yards on his second drive of the half capping it off with a seven-yard toss to tight end Logan Thomas.

It was his third touchdown toss of the game and gave the Commanders a critical seven-point lead with just over 12 minutes left to play.

As quickly as it appeared Howell and Washington would put together a complete game it all went up in flames born from an own-end interception and two off-target passes intended for receiver Terry McLaurin on third and fourth down trailing by seven late in the fourth quarter.

Howell and the offense got one more shot at tying the game late but after some officiating confusion and the first sack of the game the Commanders turned the ball over on downs with just over two minutes left, deep in their own end, and only one timeout at their disposal.

Washington ultimately fell to Philadelphia 38-31 and with that loss the half-to-half curse that has plagued Howell and his offense all season long continues for another week.