4 major observations from Sam Howell's performance vs. the Bills in Week 3

Sam Howell's costly errors

If anyone was hoping that the half-time interval would provide the adjustments needed for another fightback, they were sorely out of luck. Things went from bad to worse for Sam Howell, who made some costly errors behind a porous offensive line during the worst performance of his professional career by a considerable margin.

We mentioned last week that this isn't North Carolina anymore. Every mistake is likely to get punished at the NFL level, which Howell once again found out to his cost with four interceptions - one of which went for a pick-six to further compound the player's misery.

There was little to no help from elsewhere. The offensive line was an absolute abomination - right tackle Andrew Wylie, in particular. And just when it looked like the Washington Commanders might be putting a drive together, running back Antonio Gibson's fumbling issues continued.

While it cannot all be put on Howell, the quarterback carries the can more often than not. His poor throw to Curtis Samuel in the red zone when he should have gotten off the read represents a microcosm of suspect choices when the pocket collapsed - so there is much work ahead for the player and the Commanders heading into a tough test at the Philadelphia Eagles next weekend.

It was like a bubble had burst at FedEx Field aside from the Bills Mafia in attendance. Josh Allen's mercurial showing only highlighted Howell's failings when going up against elite-level opposition.