The Patriots remained in the loss column for a second consecutive time after the Commanders outperformed New England in Week 9 on Sunday.
Washington quarterback Sam Howell, a fifth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, led a third-quarter rally to push the Commanders past the Patriots. However, despite exploiting New England’s flaw-filled defense in the 20-17 Washington victory, Howell tipped his cap to the defense.
“Our defense and special teams picked us up,” Howell said postgame, per NFL on FOX video. “Joe (Slye) made some big kicks and Tress (Way) had some really good punts, and our defense coming up there with the stop at the end. It’s a great team win, we know we can play better, but it’s definitely good to get a win on the road.”
Like New England, hope is rapidly draining in Washington. The Commanders are in the hunt with the Patriots for a consolation prize in next year’s draft, although New England has the upper hand in tanking.
Howell, most notably escaped an improbable scramble in the second quarter, turning what should’ve been a drive-ending stop on third-and-23 into a jaw-dropping 24-yard first down conversion.
The 23-year-old didn’t have many problems picking apart New England’s subpar defense, which following Week 9, has surrendered 25.3 points to opponents on average, ranking 26th in the NFL.
“It’s just preparation,” Howell added. “The stuff we do in the offseason, the stuff we do in practice throughout the week. We take practice very, very seriously and every single rep in practice, we treat it like it’s the game. And when we come to the games it translates. So just credit to those guys around me.”
