4 major observations from Sam Howell's performance vs. NY Giants in Week 11
By Dean Jones
Sam Howell's indifferent first half
One of Sam Howell's worst games this season came at the New York Giants. The quarterback didn't look comfortable dealing with Wink Martindale's exotic blitz packages and the same trend continued over the first half in this one.
The play-calling was more conservative than normal from Eric Bieniemy - especially after Howell's first interception. The explosive plays were few and far between, with only one notable effort to Logan Thomas representing any sort of highlight from the one-time Tar Heel.
Things just didn't click. Despite having plenty of game-film to go off, Martindale had all the answers and Howell couldn't seem to find the right poise or pre-snap recognition to make things happen consistently.
And yet, there was a glimmer of hope in the half's final stages.
Howell displayed his toughness to get into the end-zone at the end of a bruising run. But after getting the football back with just over a minute remaining, they were unable to make anything happen.
This was reflected in Howell's first-half statistics:
- 72.22 percent completion (5/10)
- 115 passing yards
- 0 touchdowns
- 1 interception
- 2 sacks against
- 16 rushing yards (1 TD)
- 65.7 passer rating (ESPN)
The Commanders were losing at the break, which isn't what many anticipated coming in as heavy favorites. But after Howell's late score, they were not out of it by any stretch of the imagination.