Commanders Sam Howell On Pace To Shatter A Record No NFL Quarterback Wants To Reach
It started early for quarterback Sam Howell. The first time he was sacked this season happened on the first play of the second series that the Washington Commanders took the field in their regular-season opener.
That marked the beginning of something.
Something bad.
An onslaught of sacks has followed and now Howell is on pace to not only break, but shatter the record for most sacks absorbed by any quarterback in an NFL season.
Sam Howell Would Shatter David Carr Record
The Houston Texans once upon a time ruined David Carr because they simply let him take hit after hit, sack after sack, to the point the quarterback today still holds the record having been sacked 76 times in the 2002 season.
Howell this year is on pace to take 102 sacks barring a dramatic change in the way he plays and the Commanders protect him. Howell has been sacked 24 times in four games -- more than any other quarterback.
So it stands to reason if Washington wants to protect its investment on its young starting quarterback, maybe keeping him from getting rocked so often might be the way to go.
“You’ve got to learn from it," Washington coach Ron Rivera has said of Howell's pressure-packed outings since the season began. "If you don’t learn from it, it’s going to happen again."
Oh, it's happened again alright.
Again. And Again. And Again.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - OCTOBER 1: Nicholas Morrow #41 of the Philadelphia Eagles sacks Sam Howell #14 of the Washington Commanders at Lincoln Financial Field on October 1, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Commanders Sack Numbers Scary
Howell was sacked 6 times by the Cardinals in the opener.
He was sacked 4 times by the Broncos a week later.
The Bills got to him a season-high 9 times.
Then last week there was some improvement against the Eagles. The Eagles only sacked Howell 5 times.
And, this just in, believing 5 sacks is an improvement is delusional. It's terrible. But here we are.
The curious thing is the Commanders don't seem to have serious personnel problems on their offensive line. The club has started and used the exact same offensive line combination in all four games.
And that unit has generally graded out acceptably. Yes, there have been some dark moments. But the group is not a disaster.
LANDOVER, MARYLAND - SEPTEMBER 24: Terrel Bernard #43 of the Buffalo Bills stops Sam Howell #14 of the Washington Commanders during the first half of a game at FedExField on September 24, 2023 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
Sam Howell His Own Worst Enemy
It's Howell, folks. Much of Howell's problem taking sacks is, well, on him.
OutKick on Tuesday spoke to two NFL pro personnel scouts. And both said that of Washington's 24 sacks allowed, they consider about a quarter to be Howell's doing.
"His process needs to speed up so he gets the ball out quicker," one said.
"It looks to me like he's not always aware when he needs to get rid of the ball, but it doesn't look like anything other than inexperience to me," the other said. "That's where their coaches need to be constantly drilling him about that clock in his head. Because someone is definitely coming."
This confirms what Washington coaches have been suggesting when they say it's not just the offensive line.
"First of all, I think it's a combination of everything," offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said after Buffalo's 9-sack debacle. "When it's all said and done with, we got a young quarterback still, you know? Our job is to make sure that we're continuing to grow. Now, there were some spurts. He did a hell of a job, you know what I mean? And then there were some opportunities we didn't do such a great job.
"He's trying to make plays and sometimes it's just dumping the ball and getting rid of it or throwing it away. I think that's part of his growth period.”
DENVER, COLORADO - SEPTEMBER 17: Mike Purcell #98 of the Denver Broncos tackles Sam Howell #14 of the Washington Commanders at Empower Field At Mile High on September 17, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images)
Silver Lining For The Commanders
The Commanders obviously are hopeful the sacks don't begin to affect Howell's play. They're equally hopeful he will be able to avoid the hits -- he's been hit 36 total times so for -- that could lead to future problems like injuries.
The issue with that is taking sacks is not new to Howell. It was something of an issue for him in college and more than a couple of draft analysts pointed it out.
There is one more major upside working in Howell's favor as he and Commanders try to limit sacks: The schedule is seemingly a friend the next three weeks.
The Commanders (2-2) play Thursday against the Bears, followed by the Falcons and Giants.
The Bears are the NFL's worst defense at getting to the quarterback, having collected only 2 sacks in four games. And they are followed by, you guessed it, the Giants and then the Falcons.
So maybe after a possible three-game respite, Sam Howell may no longer be on pace for a record no quarterback wants to hold.