Should Seahawks Start Sam Howell in Week 18?

Sam Howell could start for the Seattle Seahawks in the season finale against the Los Angeles Rams.

Dec 8, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Howell (6) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Seattle Seahawks traded for quarterback Sam Howell ahead of the season in case Geno Smith ever slipped up or couldn't pick up Ryan Grubb's college-like offensive system.

Now, with just one game left in the season, Howell has yet to make a single start. Smith proved to be capable of keeping the starting job, and even though the Seahawks compiled a 9-7 record during the season, it wasn't enough to qualify for the playoffs.

The Seahawks' elimination after the Washington Commanders beat the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football (which gave the Los Angeles Rams the strength of victory tiebreaker) means that the team has nothing to lose in the team's season finale this weekend.

Bleacher Report suggests that the team should give Howell the start going into the final game of the season against the Rams.

"With one meaningless game left on the schedule, the Seahawks should consider starting Howell at quarterback. Geno Smith isn't the long-term solution and could be a cap casualty in the offseason. So, the front office might want an opportunity to evaluate the 24-year-old heading into the spring," Bleacher Report writes.

Another reason behind the potential change could be the fact that the Seahawks managed to score just six points against the Chicago Bears last week.

The Seahawks face a bit of a conundrum regarding the quarterback position this offseason. While Smith has played well and put the team in a position to be successful, it simply isn't good enough. In three years with Smith under center, he's done just enough to keep his starting quarterback job, but he hasn't done enough to get the Seahawks to where they want to go in the postseason.

There's very clearly an issue, but there isn't necessarily a solution for it. If Howell would have started throughout the regular season, would the Seahawks have made the playoffs? It's a question that we simply won't know the answer to.

But we do have to be under the impression that the Seahawks decided to start Smith for each and every game because the team felt he was the best person capable of getting Seattle a win each week.

The team doesn't necessarily need to make a quarterback change for next season, but it needs to do something different to trigger a new result. Starting Howell in Week 18 doesn't guarantee that, but it would show the Seahawks want to evaluate every player on the roster in hopes of making the right changes, adjustments, and upgrades during the offseason.

The Seahawks will face off against the Rams on Sunday at 1:25 p.m. PT inside SoFi Stadium.

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