Sam Howell and the Washington Commanders are once again embarrassing themselves. The first half alone Sunday afternoon against the New York Jets had this squad looking very much like a Pop Warner team.
Washington found itself down 27-7 at the half against a Jets team that was averaging just north of 14 points per game heading in.
For his part, Howell was a complete disaster under center. He completed 6-of-22 passes for 56 yards with two interceptions. It was ugly. Really, really ugly.
What in the world was Howell even thinking there? You can’t make that mistake and expect to be kept in a game.
In the end, embattled Commanders head coach Ron Rivera opted to bench Howell in favor of Jacoby Brissett for a second consecutive game.
The sophomore quarterback headed into NFL’s Week 16 schedule leading the league with 15 interceptions. He added two more to the mix.
In reality, Howell’s future as the Commanders’ starting quarterback is now very iffy after he started the season playing good football. The former fifth-round pick from North Carolina opened up about that ahead of Sunday’s game.
“Obviously, you can worry all year long about what’s going to happen next year, but for me, I just kind of take the approach of taking it one week at a time and really try to focus in and do everything I can on a week-to-week basis to play my best football,” Sam Howell said this past week.
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Howell’s future will ultimately be tied to what owner Josh Harris decides after the 2023 season comes to a conclusion. Rivera will be fired shortly after the Commanders’ season finale. General manager Martin Mayhew might be given his walking papers, too.
Washington entered Week 16 slated to pick No. 4 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft. It sets the team up in prime position to add a potential franchise quarterbacks with reigning Heisman winner Jayden Daniels being a potential target.