Growth or Mindset?: Commanders Coach Ron Rivera on QB Sam Howell's Week 2 TDs

The Washington Commanders got a career-high two touchdown passes from Sam Howell in Week 2, and coach Ron Rivera says it's a combination of things creating the plays.

For the Washington Commanders a major narrative around the team since coach Ron Rivera arrived has been that many believed the team just needed average quarterback play to be a playoff team.

Through two games, while there have been some less-than-stellar moments, the Commanders have gotten average or better play from young Sam Howell who has just three starts under his belt.

In his third start, leading Washington to a second-straight fourth-quarter comeback, Howell threw for a career-high two touchdowns in the one contest. 

Rivera said on Monday that those two plays are a sign of Howell's growth, and his mindset, as the team's newest starting quarterback.

"I think it's both, a guy's mindset that he can go ahead and he can make those plays and then his ability to anticipate to see where the defender is," Rivera said. "He obviously saw that Terry [McLaurin] was in position to run by these guys, and if he laid it out, Terry would go get it and that's exactly what I thought happened...as far as [Logan Thomas's] was concerned, the one that I saw was a separation between the two defenders and so the ball was thrown in front to lead him just in the position to catch it."

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

On the throw to Thomas in the middle of the endzone on fourth and goal Howell showed a high level of situational maturity that allowed him to throw the ball between two Broncos defenders and over a third allowing his veteran tight end to bring in a critical score late in the first half.

Later, in the third quarter, Howell delivered a perfectly placed deep ball to McLaurin that allowed the star receiver to go up and grab the pass despite the presence of two Denver defenders running with him downfield.

The 30-yard pass and catch was the final blow needed to erase an 18-point deficit, and ultimately Washington came away with a two-point win that most never thought would happen after the Broncos took a 21-3 lead in the first quarter and a half.