The Howler turned FedEx Field into madness.
After an offseason of second guessing by fans and no firm backing by his coach, Sam Howell proved why he’s the Washington Commanders quarterback. Need a counterpunch after a Baltimore Ravens score? Bam – there it is. Need a long drive? No problem.
In perhaps the most entertaining Commanders preseason game in years, Washington ended Baltimore’s record 24-game preseason win streak 29-28 on Monday before an energetic crowd where Commanders fans owned the stands.
The Commanders' first-sting offense retook the lead, 17-14, before halftime and then handed the game over to the reserves, though Washington hardly played any of their defensive starters and Baltimore played none. A hangover of hard feelings from last week’s two joint practices may have prevented some personal rematches.
But, Howell refused to yield despite setbacks like a self-inflicted 13-yard sack. He completed 19 of 25 for 188 yards with two touchdowns and a 123.4 rating.
Howell’s most impressive drive came in the final moments of the first half. Howell already led a 15-play series for 72 yards and a field goal. He followed with a nine-play, 45-yard drive for a touchdown. But when Baltimore scored on two plays for a 14-10 lead, Howell rallied right back with a 10-play drive for 79 yards with a touchdown toss to Dyami Brown.
Comebacks, counterpunches – whatever – Howell has game. Don’t qualify this by saying, 'But, it all came against the Ravens' reserves and practice squad.' You play whoever is in front of you. The game will get faster in September, but so will offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. Howell created some of the downfield success on the run so he gets credit, too
The Commanders got lucky. NFL teams ran scared of passers in the 2022 draft with only one taken in the first round. Some years, Howell would have been gone by the second after a rush of passer picks. But, he hung around to the fifth round before Washington couldn’t resist the value. After a solid effort in the season-ending victory over Dallas, Howell was the natural successor for this season, especially with Taylor Heinicke and Carson Wentz (mercifully) not returning.
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But after 10 quarterbacks starting over three seasons, there’s some natural fan skepticism over Howell. That’s fine – he’s proving worthy on the field versus some predecessors like Ryan Fitzpatrick, Dwayne Haskins and Wentz that never did so.
Coach Ron Rivera waited forever to confirm Howell was the starter. After all, it’s a career decision for the coach. If Howell fails, Rivera is gone after this season. If Howell succeeds, then Rivera improves the odds he can stay to see out his initial five-year contract. So, pardon the pause.
And pause is mainly where Washington finds itself. Starters aren’t expected to play again until the Sept. 10 opener versus Arizona with the reserves handling Saturday’s preseason finale against Cincinnati.
The defense may go nearly a month without playing following an uninspiring opener versus Cleveland. Sitting the unit versus Baltimore seems risky, but with linemen Jon Allen (foot) and Chase Young (stinger) sporting injuries Rivera opted to not play half its line. That said, most of the secondary also sat aside first-rounder Emmanuel Forbes, who flashed with one big tackle for loss on a third-down run.
No matter – nothing offers hope more than a young quarterback. Coupled with the exit of owner Dan Snyder, Commanders fans haven’t been this optimistic since the Joe Gibbs’ dynasty of 1981-92.
Maybe some fans didn’t get the Wolves nickname they wanted, but they can still howl in the stands. Howell is showing it’s OK to be happy after all.
Follow Rick Snider on Twitter: @Snide_Remarks
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