Commanders News: Ron Rivera, Chase Young, Brian Robinson Jr., and Sam Howell

Commanders QB Sam Howell's eagerness

Starting slowly has become synonymous with the Washington Commanders since Ron Rivera became head coach. Their 27-3 half-time deficit on Thursday night was the latest in a long line of deep holes they had to climb out of, which was a task too tough despite things improving dramatically on offense after the break.

Sam Howell was one of the few players to emerge with any credit. The quarterback recovered well from his costly interception en route to 388 passing yards and two touchdowns, even if it wasn't enough for the Commanders to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

When asked about his thoughts, Howell stated via Washington's website that beginning games quicker and executing more effectively right out of the gate is the primary objective. Something that would undoubtedly make things easier as games go on.

"We just got to do a better job of executing starting the game. I think we've done a good job throughout the season on those first few drives. Obviously, sometimes they haven't resulted in points. I think we've had a good plan, we've prepared well throughout the week, it's just a matter of coming out and executing. They didn't do anything that was different than what we thought they would do, it's just a matter of us going out there and doing what we're supposed to do and doing our jobs at a high level. Early on in the game, we didn't do that. It kind of put ourselves in a hole, but we'll be better from it."

- Sam Howell via Commanders.com

Howell is learning on the job and demonstrating impressive growth through five weeks. If the former fifth-round selection gets more help from elsewhere, there's nothing to suggest he cannot continue developing into a potential franchise presence under center.