Welcome to the NFL, Sam Howell.
The Buffalo Bills (1-1) lead the Washington Commanders (2-0) 16-0 at halftime of their Week 3 game from FedEx Field.
It was a rough first half for Washington’s second-year quarterback, who was sacked three times and threw two costly interceptions. The Commanders had an excellent opening drive, getting to the Buffalo 25-yard line before falling apart.
Howell took consecutive sacks and was intercepted on third down, ending a promising scoring opportunity.
Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen had no such concerns, as he had a 35-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Gabe Davis in the first half. Allen’s legs also created problems for Washington as he had two long runs on third down.
Allen completed 14 of 22 passes for 140 yards with a touchdown in the first half. He rushed for 36 yards, leading the Bills, who ran for 72 yards as a team.
Meanwhile, Howell completed eight of 13 passes for 96 yards with two interceptions. It’s his first multi-interception game in the NFL. Both interceptions weren’t great decisions, but the second interception late in the second quarter gifted the Bills three points. It was a terrible decision, as he threw it off his back foot, drifting away.
The Commanders had one excellent scoring opportunity, landing inside the five-yard line, but threw consecutive incompletions, followed by a one-yard loss on third down. Head coach Ron Rivera went for it on fourth down, and Howell, under heavy pressure, missed tight end Cole Turner. The Bills then drove for 10 minutes after being backed up to their two-yard line and ended the drive with a field goal.
The Commanders will receive the second-half kickoff, but it was a rough first half for Howell and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. Washington had some success running the football early but seemed too eager to get away from the run.