Washington Commanders QB Sam Howell Will 'Take Our Wideouts vs. Anybody Every Week'
ASHBURN, Va. -- The Washington Commanders (4-8) are entering the month of December with the toughest strength of schedule remaining in the NFL and kick it off with a home date against the Miami Dolphins (8-3) who bring in one of the most explosive passing offenses in the league.
But it's not just the Commanders' defense that will face a big challenge on Sunday because the Dolphins defense has been one of the better units against opposing passing games in the NFL as well.
A big part of it is the secondary that Washington will face in Week 13, led by cornerback Jalen Ramsey whose midseason return from injury has helped take Miami's defense up a notch.
"He's a great player and does a good job of mixing up his looks and choosing when he wants to be aggressive and when he's not," Commanders quarterback Sam Howell said of Ramsey. "Xavien Howard is a good player as well, so we definitely have our hands full out on the perimeter, but we got some good wideouts and I'm going to take our wideouts vs. anybody every week."
Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell (14) passes over Atlanta Falcons linebacker Bud Dupree (48) during the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Ramsey missed the first seven games of the NFL season but returned for the Dolphins' 31-17 win over the New England Patriots (2-9) in Week 8 and grabbed his first interception of the year in the win.
With three interceptions total including two in a 20-13 win over the Las Vegas Raiders (5-7), Ramsey is just one shy of his mark from 2022 and he's done it in just four games.
Meanwhile, Howard on the other side has just one interception this season but as Howell pointed out is quite dangerous as well.
For Howell, third in the NFL in passing attempts of 15 air yards or more according to Sports Info Solutions, he knows he'll have to be smart against the duo and the Miami defense that has allowed just 26 of those completions this season.
"You gotta be smart about when you take your shots," Howell said when asked about facing such a stingy defense. "And you gotta try and do a good job of having positive plays, especially on first and second down and keeping yourself in manageable third downs. So you gotta be smart about when you want to take shots down the field."
Howell says there will be opportunities to get the ball downfield on the Dolphins' defense, it's just a matter of knowing when they're available and taking the smart throws when they're not.
Despite the deep ball success and talent on the perimeter of Miami's defense, the team is still one of just 10 in the NFL allowing more than 22.5 points per game.
To Howell's point, the opportunities will be there and half of the Dolphins' opponents this season have been able to put 20 points or more up against them.
Whether Washington does or not will rely on smart throws by its quarterback. Whether or not that's enough to win will depend on its defense.
