It’s been a roller-coaster start to the 2023 NFL season for Washington Commanders quarterback Sam Howell. Part of that is not surprising, considering Howell had only started one game in his career before this season.
Through five games, Howell has been sacked 29 times and is on pace to be sacked an NFL record 99 times, eclipsing David Carr’s 76 sacks in 2002. To put that record in perspective, Carr was a rookie, and the Houston Texans were a first-year expansion team.
Buy Commanders TicketsDespite the many sacks, Howell has played well outside of a miserable Week 3 performance against the Buffalo Bills. On that day, Howell was intercepted four times and sacked nine times.
He bounced back with a strong Week 4 performance at Philadelphia, almost leading the Commanders to an upset road win. In Week 5, Howell played well despite an ugly 40-20 loss to the Chicago Bears.
With five weeks in the books, where does Howell rank in ESPN’s total QBR?
Howell is ranked No. 20, with a total QBR of 48.5, just behind veterans Jimmy Garoppolo and Derek Carr. Howell is ranked ahead of standout QBs, such as Joe Burrow, Deshaun Watson, Russell Wilson and Ryan Tannehill, and young passers like Justin Fields, Anthony Richardson, Bryce Young and Kenny Pickett.
Here are Howell’s QBR numbers each week:
- Week 1 vs. Arizona: 36.4
- Week 2 at Denver: 59.7
- Week 3 vs. Buffalo: 14.7
- Week 4 at Philadelphia: 69.3
- Week 5 at Chicago: 46.9
Like most young quarterbacks, there have been ups and downs from Howell. However, the second-year quarterback has shown plenty of promise, particularly with his performance against the Eagles. Howell has played mostly in three of Washington’s five games this season.
Can Howell lead the Commanders to an impressive bounce-back performance in Week 6 against the Atlanta Falcons?
