Commanders' Sam Howell: Standout numbers in defeat

Howell completed 39 of 52 passes for 397 yards with four touchdowns and one interception in the Commanders' 38-31 loss to the Eagles on Sunday. He also rushed three times for 11 yards and committed a fumble that was recovered by Washington.

Howell enjoyed a career-best day in defeat, with both his yardage and touchdown totals serving as new single-game highs for the second-year signal-caller. Howell impressively spread the ball around to nine different targets, connecting with Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Logan Thomas and Jamison Crowder for touchdown tosses of 26, 21, seven and 26 yards, respectively. However, Howell was unable to keep up with Jalen Hurts and his air attack in the fourth quarter, when Philadelphia outscored Washington by a 21-14 margin. The sophomore quarterback nevertheless should draw plenty of confidence from nearly knocking off the defending NFC champions for a second time this season and will next face the Patriots on the road in a Week 9 matchup.