4 major observations from Sam Howell's performance at the NY Giants in Week 7
By Dean Jones
Sam Howell's protection issues
Sam Howell is getting sacked at a historic rate. Unfortunately, this didn't slow down at the New York Giants in Week 7.
In fact, it only increased.
There were one or two occasions when Howell held onto the football for too long. But most of the sacks conceded were on the offensive line this time around.
It's like the Washington Commanders hadn't watched one second of the game film about Wink Martindale's defense and how he likes to operate. The defensive coordinator also made no secret about the fact he was going to bring pressure consistently and try to make things difficult for the inexperienced Howell leading up to the clash.
Mission accomplished. And considering the Giants had five total sacks through their opening six games, this was a complete embarrassment.
Howell was sacked six times throughout the contest - five of which came in the first half. No quarterback could reach their full potential playing behind such inept protection, which is causing unnecessary hesitancy from the one-time North Carolina standout at an important stage of the season.
The signal-caller is not without blame, obviously. But such a porous offensive line points the finger squarely at Ron Rivera, who was seemingly thrilled with recruitment in this area of the field when most thought otherwise.
Unless something changes, it's hard to see Howell lasting a full 17-game regular season slate.