Sam Howell Says Commanders 'Have to Clean Up' After Loss to Bills

Sam Howell was sacked nine times in the Washington Commanders' 37-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

When it rained, it poured for the Washington Commanders offense and quarterback Sam Howell in their 37-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at FedEx Field. 

And seemingly every time Howell dropped back to pass, he was either getting sacked or throwing an interception. Howell completed 19 of 29 passes for 170 yards with four interceptions and was sacked nine times by the Bills (2-1). His nine-sack and four-interception performance made him the first player since Warren Moon did it against the Dallas Cowboys in 1985, according to CBS Sports.  

Washington (2-1) also allowed nine sacks on Sept. 25, 2022, in its 24-8 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Nine sacks is one shy of the most the Commanders have allowed in a single game in franchise history. The franchise record for sacks allowed in a game by Washington is 10, which happened on Oct. 30, 2011, in a 23-0 loss that also came against the Bills. 

“Yeah, it was tough, especially when you get in a situation where you're down a few touchdowns at the end of the game and they know we're in a passing situation," Howell said. "They have the advantage as far as the pass rush goes. I’ve just got to do a better job and maybe we can do some things better, and try to limit the sacks. That’s definitely something we have to clean up.”

Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell sacked by two Buffalo Bills defenders / USA Today

Howell was pressured on 27 of his 39 dropbacks, according to Next Gen Sports, which is the second-highest pressure rate they've charted since they began keeping the stat. 

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize that the Commanders' offensive line woes can tank a promising start to the season. Washington has allowed 19 sacks through three games, the most in the NFL this season and the second most by a team since 1970, according to CBS Sports.

No other team has allowed more than 13 sacks this season.

While Howell is partly to blame, the Commanders' offensive line issues are nothing new. They allowed 48 sacks in 2022, which was the seventh-most in the NFL. Just 12 quarters into the 2023 season, the offensive line appears to be even worse than last year despite attempts to improve and revamp the unit this past offseason. 

The quickest way to ruin a young quarterback's career is by being unable to protect him. With teams like the Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles on the ledger for four games, things could get even worse for Howell before they get better.