It was a day to forget for Washington quarterback Sam Howell Sunday, as the second-year signal call threw four interceptions and was sacked nine times in an embarrassing 37-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
The game looked competitive in the early going as Washington’s defense held the Bills to a field goal on their opening drive. Howell quickly led the Commanders deep into Buffalo territory before the wheels fell off.
Buy Commanders TicketsHowell was sacked on consecutive plays and, on third down, was intercepted by Bills linebacker Terrel Bernard at the 16-yard line. The Commanders would have other opportunities, but sacks and turnovers continued to kill any chance of competing with the superior Buffalo squad.
Here’s everything we learned from an ugly day for Washington.
Final score: Bills 37, Commanders 3
| Team | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Final |
| Buffalo Bills | 10 | 6 | 0 | 21 | 37 |
| Washington Commanders | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
Why the Commanders lost
Where do we begin? Quarterback Sam Howell was terrible, the pass protection was horrendous and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy called a bad game.
Defensively, the Commanders weren’t horrible, forcing field goals on three of Buffalo’s first four scores despite the multiple turnovers and sacks. But in 32 Josh Allen dropbacks, he was not sacked and was hit just one time. That’s inexcusable from a defensive line that is supposed to impact games. And far too often, Bills players were running wide open in the secondary, including Stefon Diggs.
It was over when....
Sam Howell was picked off by Bills safety Micah Hyde just before halftime. The Commanders had the ball, down 13-0. On third-and-short with 1:15 remaining in the half, Howell, under pressure, makes a terrible decision by throwing off-balanced toward the sideline. It was an easy pick for Hyde and gave the Bills an automatic three points.
It was clear from that point the Commanders couldn’t block the Bills, the coaching staff had no answers and Howell wasn’t coming back from this one.
Turning point
The turning point was early in this game. After Washington’s defense held the Bills to three points on the opening drive, the Commanders and Howell moved down the field. Things were looking up for Washington. However, those back-to-back sacks, followed by the interception, completely changed the trajectory of this game. It wasn’t over at this point, but it was trending in that direction. The Commanders had no answers offensively.
Player of the game: None
There were no heroes for Washington on Sunday. We include a picture of kicker Joey Slye only because he ensured that Washington wouldn’t be shut out.
It only counts once
As bad as this loss was for the Commanders, it only counts once. Sure, film review will be difficult this week, but many of Washington’s miscues are correctable. The Commanders are still 2-1, and how they bounce back will tell the story of this coaching staff and the players.
What's next
Things do not get any easier for the Commanders next week. Washington is on the road at Philadelphia in Week 4. The Commanders knocked the Eagles from the ranks of the unbeaten last season on Monday night. They will be big underdogs in Philly next Sunday.
