Washington Commanders' Sam Howell Ready For 'Exciting Opportunity' vs. Seattle Seahawks

The Washington Commanders face a Seattle Seahawks team coming off an embarrassing loss, but Sam Howell is up for the fight at Lumen Field.

The Washington Commanders got back on the winners list last week with a 20-17 win over the New England Patriots, but now a different kind of challenge awaits Sam Howell and Co. - the Seattle Seahawks.

With Pete Carroll's team coming off a 37-3 hiding at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens, there will no doubt be a response from the home team.

For Howell and the Commanders, they are more than up for the fight against an NFC playoff contender slightly ahead of them in the standings.

“It's a great opportunity to go play against a good football team," Howell said. "They're doing a good job on both sides of the ball, and they've won a good amount of games this year, and we know it's going to take our best to go up there and get a win. It's an exciting opportunity. We don't really look into who is ahead of us and who's not. We just try to take it one game at a time and try to go 1-0 each and every week. Every single game that we play is the most important game of the year. We treat every single game as a must-win.”

With the Commanders now somewhat sorting out their offensive line issues, Howell hasn't been a sitting duck in the pocket like he was in the early stages of the year.

Commanders quarterback Sam Howell is ready for the challenge of facing the Seahawks at Lumen Field on Sunday / Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

In the last two games, Howell has been sacked just four times as things have improved in terms of protection.

But what does Howell see as a reason for the improvement?

“I think obviously it starts with those guys up front," Howell said. "They're doing a lot better job, and they're gelling as a unit. They're doing a really good job as far as picking up blitzes and being on the same page, and the backs are doing a good job as well. I think for me, I've tried to improve every single week as far as just getting the ball out of my hands and trying to get down to the check-downs faster. 

"I think I've shown improvement in that area every single week. I feel like I'm doing a pretty good job of that right now, and I think I've shown that the past two weeks. I just got to try to continue to find ways to improve in that area and make it easier on those guys up front.”

With the Commanders and Howell both showing some signs of improvement over the last couple of games, the hope is that it continues going forward.

But another big test awaits on Sunday in the hostile territory of Lumen Field in what is one of the most testing environments in the NFL.