Washington Commanders' Ron Rivera Reveals Sam Howell's Performance vs. Expectations

Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera spoke about the good, bad, and ugly of Sam Howell's first five starts of the season.

Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell is similar to every young passer that gets the opportunity to start in that his performance is picked apart by many. Some are looking to build their newfound quarterback up, while others are waiting for the next incompletion as justification for moving on.

Where Howell differs from other young quarterbacks is in his detrimental proclivity for taking sacks.

That doesn’t mean he can’t be a good player. But the fact remains, through five weeks, Howell has taken a sack on 32.2 percent of his pressures, per Pro Football Focus. That number would be the highest of any qualified passer since Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in 2009.

This goes hand-in-hand with his league-leading 29 sacks, and has understandably dampened the Washington offense. Subsequently, the Commanders are 2-3, and Howell has remained as polarizing as ever. There are high-level flashes and a knack for competing in clutch situations, but puzzling decisions and a poor internal clock keep that performance in check.

Head coach Ron Rivera spoke about Howell’s performance thus far, and how he’s met the team’s expectations.

Washington Commanders quarterback Howell scrambling against the Philadelphia Eagles / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

“I think he’s a little bit ahead of where we anticipate only because he is having to throw a lot of balls,” Rivera said. “That’s unfortunate to a degree. But you do like what he’s done.”

The game script has not been kind to Howell or Washington, even if it lends him more opportunities to develop. The defense’s tendency to give up explosives and Howell’s performance leading to short fields kills complementary football before it can even start.

With that, Rivera was impressed by certain intangibles in Howell’s game.

“You see who he is, you see his grit, you see his toughness, you see his decision making. Those are all good,” Rivera said. “Those are things that hopefully we get this thing going in the right direction, that'll benefit as we continue the season. It's a long, long year.”

Regardless of how many sacks he’s taken, it’s become clear that Howell is the guy this season. The flashes are enough to earn him time to develop, and even if it’s only a year, he’ll have an honest look from the staff and front office alike. There’s little doubt his game-tying drive against the Philadelphia Eagles had a lasting impact.

Howell, in his mentality and ability to make legitimate NFL throws, has surpassed expectations. As for everything else, it seems he’ll have a dozen more games to make his case.