Sam Howell made his second NFL start in Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals. Howell had an up-and-down performance, passing for 202 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Howell also rushed for the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter in the Commanders’ win.
However, an area where Howell would like to improve is taking fewer sacks. Howell took six sacks in the opener, one of which resulted in a fumble near the end zone for the Cardinals’ only touchdown. A pair of those sacks resulted from Howell stepping out of bounds instead of throwing the football away.
In speaking to the media this week, Howell was aware of where he needs to improve, talking specifically about the sacks and turnovers.
While Howell certainly had his share of positives and negatives from Week 1, some quarterbacks had a horrible opening performance. Joe Burrow had the worst performance of his four-year NFL career. While Daniel Jones turned in a stinker for the Giants.
So where did Howell land in ESPN’s total QBR after Week 1?
Howell came in at No. 19, with an overall QBR of 42.5.
Burrow was No. 28 at 22.8, while Jones was dead last with a QBR of 10.2.
Josh Allen was barely ahead of Howell with a 45.6 QBR, while Howell ranked ahead of Jalen Hurts, whose QBR was 41.2.
There are no concerns for any quarterback on this list after Week 1. It’s one week. We know Burrow’s QBR will revert to the norm soon. These things even out. Where will Howell come in every week? Ideally, the Commanders would love to see him land in the top 15 weekly. That would be excellent for a second-year quarterback.
Things certainly don’t get any easier for Howell, who faces a stingy Broncos defense this week, followed by back-to-back games against the Bills and Eagles.