Commanders hoping up-tempo approach will help slow things down for Sam Howell, minimize sacks

The 2-3 Washington Commanders need to pick up the pace heading into the second quarter of the regular season, and that means quarterback Sam Howell speeding things up, too.

The Commanders’ second-year quarterback has taken a league-leading 29 sacks so far this season. He’s well on pace to break the league’s single-season record, and sources tell CBS Sports the Commanders are both planning to get Howell quicker completions early in the game and hoping he can speed up his internal clock.

Howell’s 29 sacks are the third-most sacks taken through the first five games in the Super Bowl era. He’s on pace to absorb 99 sacks this season, which would shatter the previous record of 76 set by David Carr and the expansion Houston Texans.

To be sure, the organization stands behind Howell. The Commanders — from managing partner Josh Harris on down, sources say — have liked what they’ve seen from Howell, from his poise to his toughness and his ability to make the big throw.

And the team recognizes that with more reps in the pros, Howell will get a better feel for how much time he has in the pocket. After all, Sunday’s game against the Falcons will be just his seventh start in the NFL.

But as poor offensive line play has plagued many around the league, Washington doesn’t feel it has the same concerns. According to TruMedia, Howell has been pressured 89 times this season, third-most in the league behind Daniel Jones and Justin Fields. But his average time until pressure is 2.67 seconds, fifth-longest in a league where the average is 2.49 seconds.

The Commanders have struggled to get the offense going in two of the past three losses. Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy has tried to mix in quick throws with play-action and vertical shots to keep the defense off balance and get Howell into a flow early.

Washington hopes to set the tempo early this week against a top-10 Falcons defense that hasn’t lost a home game since early December last year.