Washington Commanders Offense ‘Not Where We Want To Be

The Washington Commanders season so far has resembled a rollercoaster as the performances have been up and down. Part of that is getting used to Eric Bieniemy’s new system, along with having a young quarterback in Sam Howell.

During the first seven games, Howell was getting sacked for fun as the offensive line struggled to protect him consistently. But over the last few games, that has gotten better, and Washington sits at 4-5 on the season.

While Howell has done some good things this season in his nine games, head coach Ron Rivera says that while his quarterback didn’t grasp the offense quickly, he is slowly starting to get to where the coaching staff wants him and the offense to be.

“I wouldn’t say he grasped it quickly,” Rivera said. “He’s growing in it. Those first few games, obviously that first month and a half, the sacks were a concern. There’s been a growth period, and I just think he’s on time. This is kind of where you would expect it to be, playing him as much as we’ve played him, giving him the opportunities that he’s had. He’s shown some good growth. And again, he still has a ways to go. By no means are we where we want to be.”

The Commanders, under Bieniemy, are ranked 18th for points scored per game (21.2), and for Howell, his 2,471 passing yards are the second most in the NFL, behind Tua Tagovailoa (2,609), so the offense has aired the football out at times.

With Howell, at one point, being the most sacked quarterback in the NFL, now, while still second (44) behind the New York Giants (49), there have been signs of improvement along the offensive line as in the last two games, Howell has been sacked just four times.

As Rivera stated, there is still a long way to go for the offense and Howell to look like the coaching staff envisions, and they will get a stern test at Lumen Field when they face the Seattle Seahawks.

It is another step on the long road to hopefully securing a playoff berth. While it may seem a bridge too far, this is the NFL, so never say never, and if a win can be snatched against the Seahawks, we imagine that Howell will be a big reason why.