Sam Howell's rough first half
Sam Howell had a significant amount of momentum heading into this game. However, it didn't take long to figure out that the previous two defenses he's faced this season had nothing on the Buffalo Bills.
The Bills made life extremely difficult for Howell during a frustrating first half littered with errors. Aside from a nice run and deep pass in stride to Curtis Samuel, the quarterback and the Washington Commanders couldn't get anything going - something that put them in a 16-0 hole heading into the break.
There are times when Howell looks like a world-beater. Others he looks like a rookie, which one could argue is exactly what he is after a predominantly red-shirt campaign in 2022.
It wasn't just the bad statistics that caused concern. Howell looked flustered under pressure, made two critical errors that led to interceptions, and just looked like a rabbit in the headlights against a Bills defense that smelled blood almost from the outset.
The first-half stats? They spoke for themselves.
- 61.53% completion
- 96 passing yards
- 0 TDs
- 2 INTs
- 18 rushing yards
- 3 sacks against
- 44.6 passer rating (ESPN)
If there was one solace for Howell and Commanders, it's that they've already come back from a big deficit. Even if this scenario didn't have the same vibes attached.