Sam Howell Critiques Seattle Seahawks Offense After Winning Preseason Opener

While Sam Howell had some positive moments, the Seattle Seahawks could have played better on offense against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Aug 10, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Howell (6) throws a pass against the Los Angeles Chargers during the first quarter at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-USA TODAY Sports / Jonathan Hui-USA TODAY Sports

Earning the win under center to open the preseason, Sam Howell made the most of his Seattle Seahawks debut on Saturday in a 16-3 win against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium.

While Howell was pleased with the win, however, he made note of the team's lack of points on offense and how his performance could have been better overall.

"Yeah, it was good to get back out there," Howell said. "We've been going against ourselves for these past few weeks. It was good to get out there against a different opponent. I thought the guys played well. Obviously, the defense, I thought had a really good game. Offensively, we did some good things. We could have scored a little more points, I thought. I would have liked to finish that drive there early in the third quarter where we got stopped on the one. Overall, I thought we did some good things."

Howell's sentiments echoed with his head coach Mike Macdonald, who felt like the third-year pro showed signs of growth.

“I thought Sam played really well moving the offense," Macdonald said. "Not all the starters played. I think a couple of the interior offensive line guys that were the only ones in there. It was great to see them come back out in the second half and move all the way down the field. Obviously, we want to close that drive out, but I thought we operated well and made some great decisions. I'm sure there are some plays that you'd want back, but that's good. It's never going to be a perfect performance, but I’m definitely pleased.”

But there are ways in which the Seahawks can get better, and even after converting seven out of 12 opportunities in the first half on Saturday, Howell eyes third-down conversions as an area of continued improvement.

"I thought there were some of them where we could have done a little better of a job," Howell said. "Obviously, have to go back and look at the film, but I thought there were some things that we might have left out there, but you're not going to be perfect. We moved the ball well and controlled the game. I don't know what exactly the time of possession was, but I know we had it for most of the game. We played some good, complementary football, for sure."

The Seahawks will get a chance to look at the film and improve in practice this week before Saturday's test on the road against the Tennessee Titans, who they will also face in a pair of joint practices in Nashville. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. PT from Nissan Stadium.