Washington Commanders QB Sam Howell Strong in 1st Half vs. Atlanta Falcons

Sam Howell is playing well for the Washington Commanders against the Atlanta Falcons.
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The Washington Commanders are heading to the locker room with a xx-10 lead against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday afternoon at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

While the Commanders trailed at the end of the first quarter, Washington picked it back up with two drives in the second quarter that ended in Sam Howell touchdown passes.

Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell (14) throws a pass against the Atlanta Falcons in the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell (14) throws a pass against the Atlanta Falcons in the first quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The first of Howell's scores came with 11:47 left in the half on a 1-yard pass to running back Antonio Gibson. The Commanders had wonderful field position after Jamison Crowder returned a punt for 61 yards. That started the drive on the Falcons' 11-yard line, making it easy for the Commanders to score.

On the team's next possession, the Commanders also had good field position after the defense turned the ball over on downs at around midfield. This set up a 7-play, 52-yard drive that ended in a 7-yard touchdown to receiver Curtis Samuel, his third score in as many weeks.

Atlanta responded to the 14 unanswered points with a 47-yard field goal from Younghoe Koo inside the two minute warning. Howell had a chance to add even more points on the board, but the Falcons defense sacked him on the first two plays of the drive, killing any momentum for the Commanders to score late in the first half.

Howell has completed 12 of 18 passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns. Through seven career games, Howell has thrown for 1,602 yards, the most for any quarterback in franchise history in that span of time.

Washington is in the driver's seat, but Howell will have to keep his foot on the gas if the Commanders want to win the game.

The Falcons will receive the ball when the teams return to the field for the second half.


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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.