Commanders fans had every right to be exciting about Washington's 2-0 start. Unfortunately, Sam Howell's ugly performance against the Bills in Week 3 has brought everyone in the nation's capital back to Earth.
The idea that offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy could sprinkle some magic on his young signal-caller appeared to have merit after posting 55 combined points in two victories to open the season. The four interceptions Howell threw against the Bills in a lopsided Week 3 loss should erase that optimism.
In fairness, no one should have expected the Commanders to upset the Bills. Buffalo's ugly Week 1 was always more likely to be an aberration that a sign of true weakness. That does not mean Washington should have been blown out by the AFC East foe.
Howell looked thorougly overmatched from the opening whistle against the Bills defense. His four costly interceptions will understandably garner all the headlines, but his paltry passing yards total of under-200 yards should get just as much attention. Even when Howell wasn't giving the ball away he wasn't able to move his offense down the field.
Eric Bieniemy, Sam Howell hot takes should be deleted
The failure to stay competitive against Buffalo will force Bieniemy and the team's offensive staff to rethink their game plans moving forward. Don't expect head coach Ron Rivera to accept this loss lying down. He'll require Bieniemy to force his young quarterback to be more conservative in coming weeks.
Howell's struggles also open the door for questions about his status as the team's starting quarterback of the present and future. If Washington stumbles into an ugly record it could force them to consider taking a highly-touted quarterback prospect in upcoming NFL Draft.
Howell's status as a fifth-round pick does not give him any real protection against being drafted over. His contract comfortably slots into a value deal for a backup. Washington could spend a top-10 pick on a new quarterback and still feel like they're getting great contract value in their quarterback room.
Washington fans might hope Howell's failture to perform against the Bills turns out to be an outlier but there is a lot of reason for concern inside the Commanders' brain trust about their offensive coordinator-quarterback combination.