Washington Commanders QB Sam Howell Reflects on 'Tough Game' in Week 11

After taking a second-straight loss to the New York Giants, Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell placed most of the blame at his own feet.

ASHBURN, Va. -- The Washington Commanders haven't had any real success in recent years against the New York Giants, but unlike many losses this season it was the offense mostly to blame for the most current defeat.

In two games against the Giants, Commanders quarterback Sam Howell has thrown one touchdown and four interceptions topping out at 255 yards passing, and was sacked 10 times.

After watching the tape of the game, Washington's potential franchise quarterback put the onus for the loss on himself.

“It was a tough game. I had some unfortunate plays that didn't go my way, but I think there was some decisions I'd like to have back," Howell said. "I thought we moved the ball well for most of the game. I just didn't make enough plays for us to win, and I had the costly turnovers that cost us the game.”

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

Looking back at it, there were multiple plays Howell appeared to take deep shots when short or intermediate opportunities were available. 

Of course, having the benefit of seeing the entire field from a bird's eye view is different than being on the ground scanning the field while New York defenders are giving chase. 

So while it's fully possible Howell simply didn't see those options, given his ability to negotiate defenses the past few weeks, we'd like to believe he'd have the situational awareness to find those high-probability opportunities.

If he did, then pressing the ball downfield anyway is a sign of a young player simply doing too much in a situation where his team needed the smart play, not the big play.

Something Howell says he doesn't feel he was doing when looking back on it. 

“I was trying to just play the game how I know how to play," Howell said. "And obviously I think when you're down in the fourth quarter, you tend to be a little bit more aggressive. That's how people coach you, to be a little bit more aggressive there when you're down in the fourth quarter. But still, there's no excuse to turning the ball over.”

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Any young player is going to have his fair share of up-and-down moments throughout the season, and Week 11 proved to be one of the former.

However, if his mentality in this one was the same as the good ones then there's reason to believe a cleaner form of football is coming up in the near future for Howell and his teammates.

This is good because the Dallas Cowboys defense the Commanders are facing in Week 12 is one of the best in the league at sacking and intercepting opposing quarterbacks.