Commanders' Terry McLaurin Backs QB Sam Howell: 'He's Our Guy!'

Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell has moved to 2-0 as a starter in his young career.

The Washington Commanders are heading into Week 2 preparation pleased to be 1-0, but Sunday's 20-16 win over the Arizona Cardinals at FedEx Field proved that coach Ron Rivera's team still has tons to fix ahead of some tough upcoming matchups.

Regardless of how he did it, quarterback Sam Howell got the win and moved to 2-0 as a starter. With the Cardinals projected to be one of the league's worst teams this season, he and the Commanders could've easily folded when Arizona held them scoreless in the third and looked ready to pull off the road upset.

But able to answer to the adversity, Howell has earned the trust of star receiver Terry McLaurin.

"I think you never saw him shaking, you never saw him with his head down," McLaurin said. "He took some tough hits out there. ... He's our guy, we're going to support him but as a whole collective we could do a better job just staying on track and helping him out."

Geoff Burke, USA Today

It was far from an ideal start for Washington and for Howell in particular, who was playing in his first game since officially taking over the QB1 reins this offseason. He finished 19 of 31 passing for 202 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The second-year quarterback also took six sacks.

The subpar stats hardly mattered though, as it was Howell's go-ahead six-yard rushing touchdown early in the fourth quarter that allowed Washington to take the lead for good.

“He had his moments," Rivera said. "Again, we're going to watch the rest of the tape and we're going to take a look at some things and we will evaluate it off of the tape and get a chance to talk with him.”

Coming off a win, it should be easier for Howell to build more confidence during his process of improvement. But if the Commanders want to start their season off on the right foot, Howell will need to be at his best.

After visiting the Denver Broncos this Sunday at 4:25 p.m., Washington will play a pair of Super Bowl contenders when they host the Buffalo Bills in Week 3 and then travel to Philly to face the Eagles in Week 4.