The manager officially announced a quarterback change starting in Week 17.
Head coach Ron Rivera announced in a press conference Wednesday that Jacoby Brissett will make his first start of the season against the 49ers and second-year QB Sam Howell will be moved to the bench.
“I think this is probably a good opportunity for Sam to take a break,” Rivera said, via JP Finley of NBC4 Washington. “This is about Sam’s continued development, but things haven’t gone as well as we would have liked in recent weeks. So we think this is a good opportunity for him to get looked at. Masu.
“And I think with Jacoby being a professional and playing the way he’s supposed to, it’s going to give Sam a chance to look at things and see what the offense is going to be like.” I think that will help. ”
Howell has started all 15 games for the Commanders this year, but has struggled considerably over the past three weeks. In this span, he completed only 40.9% of his passes for 285 yards, one touchdown, and four interceptions.
Rivera benched Howell in place of Brissett in the Week 15 loss to the Rams and Week 16 loss to the Jets, and the veteran quarterback provided significant inspiration in both games. Overall, he threw for 224 yards with three touchdowns and no picks, completing 78.3 percent.
Let’s see how Brissett handles with ample opportunity to play against the 49ers on Sunday.