Washington Commanders QB Sam Howell Has 'A Lot to Play For'

The Washington Commanders have plenty to play for says quarterback Sam Howell, and he has some personal goals included in that assertion.

The Washington Commanders (4-9) travel to face the Los Angeles Rams (6-7) this weekend and with them they'll be carrying the hopes of many in their fanbase that the team loses in an effort to improve NFL Draft stock. 

Of course, the players and coaches on that plane won't be focused on the Commanders' draft prospects, and will instead look to close out the final stretch of the season with some positive things to carry into the offseason.

For Commanders quarterback Sam Howell that starts with doing the good things he's done this season, and doing them more often.

"I want to make better decisions," Howell said when asked what he hoped to produce in the final four games of the regular season. "I just want to be really, really consistent. I think I've done some really good things this year (and) I just need to do it at a more consistent rate. So I think that's my goal to go into these last four games and be really consistent and make plays and just play winning football. We still have a lot to play for and still four games left."

Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell (14) passes the ball as New York Giants wide receiver Isaiah Hodgins (18) chases during the fourth quarter at FedExField / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

After those four games, the expectation is that Commanders managing partner Josh Harris will announce the team is moving on from coach Ron Rivera and his staff this offseason and turning the franchise in a new direction. The plan will be, of course, to turn a team that has failed to record an above .500 record in seven seasons into a perennial winner.

One of the principal questions that new staff will need to answer will be whether or not Howell is their starting quarterback of the future or if the most important position on the field is getting a reset along with the franchise.

"I try to control what I can control, and I try to take it one day at a time," Howell said when asked about his future with the team. "I try to put my best foot forward and truly give this job, give this team, this organization, every single thing that I got every single day. And that's what I'll continue to do."

From our estimation most of the fan base and media outlets closely covering the team want to see Howell carried over from this staff to the next, for whatever that's worth.

Playing consistently and putting some of that winning football on tape in these final four games would certainly help give any new head coach a warm and fuzzy feeling about the prospect of Howell leading their system. Standing in the way of his doing that this weekend will be Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald.

"He does everything so well, just how fast he's able to get off the ball, how strong he is getting off the football, and you've got to have a plan for him," Howell said of Donald. "You've got to know where he is every single snap...He's one of the very, very special players in the league, obviously a future Hall of Famer."

Donald enters Week 15 with six sacks recorded this season, one more than he had in the 11 games he played last year and four shy of his seventh double-digit season.

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Of course, we don't expect he'll get all four of those in this one game, but he'll certainly have an influence and could be expected to get at least one given the high amount of pressure Washington has allowed this season.

Stopping Donald is step one for Howell's frontline and being prepared for the times he defeats them is next. Do that and perhaps the Commanders can do some damage against the Los Angeles defense, put up some consistent tape, and make a bigger case for Howell to be the quarterback that leads the Commanders into their second new era in as many seasons.