Washington Commanders' Ron Rivera Still 'Very Optimistic' Over Sam Howell's Potential

Washinton Commanders quarterback Sam Howell nearly led his team to an upset win over the Philadelphia Eagles. For head coach Ron Rivera, Howell's performance left him optimistic for what is to come.

The Washington Commanders' 34-31 overtime loss to the Philadelphia Eagles showed what Sam Howell is truly made of. While we have seen Howell produce some good moments, going toe-to-toe with Jalen Hurts and the Eagles wasn't something many expected.

But Howell did just that and led a superb 12-play, 64-yard drive that took just 1:43 off the clock, which ended with a Jahan Dotson touchdown as time expired in the fourth quarter and sent the game to overtime.

For head coach Ron Rivera, Howell's performance on Sunday left him optimistic about the future of the former North Carolina star.

“I was expecting Sam to play well," Rivera. "He's a very resilient, very tough-minded young man. He bounces back very well at a lot of things. With him, you're going to have some really good positive plus moments, there's going to be some tough moments, there really are, but there's going to be some really good moments as well. So yesterday was a sampling of a pretty good moment. I think, again, he's going to continue to grow, and he'll get better and better. I believe he will. I've always been confident in him and just been very optimistic about his potential.”

Howell would finish the overtime loss completing 29 of his 41 passes for 290 yards and one touchdown, along with having six carries for 40 yards.

Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell produced a good performance in the overtime loss to the Philadelphia Eagles / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

In a game where Washington could have easily won, the team will not lose any admirers over what transpired at Lincoln Financial Field. But Howell isn't one for moral victories, and at the end of the day, the Commanders, after being in a strong position early on, couldn't get the win.

But progress was made, and Washington would have to be bullish sbout what it can do going forward after what it produced on Sunday.

Rivera credits Howell's performance against the Eagles to his internal clock speeding up.

“I think he processed a lot quicker, decision making was quicker, he really seemed to have a good feel and good grasp as to what was going on out there," Rivera said. "[He] made some really quick decisions, got the ball out of his hands, kept them off balance as much as anything. So, just again, a lot of good growth, and I think his consistency really showed.”

While the overtime loss will no doubt hurt, Washington can take solace in the fact that it pushed one of the best teams in football to breaking point. 

Up next for Howell and Washington is a Chicago Bears team desperate for its first win of the season on Thursday Night Football.