Commanders quarterback Sam Howell made an early trip to the medical tent in Washington on Sunday, but he didn’t miss any snaps.
Howell took a helmet-to-helmet hit from Cardinals linebacker Kyzir White after stepping out of bounds on a run for no gain. White was penalized for lowering his head to initiate contact and Howell went for a brief evaluation from Commanders medical personnel.
The down judge also went down and needed medical attention after the play and the delay was long enough for Howell to be cleared to return before missing any plays. He would go on to lead the Commanders to their first points of the season.
The Cardinals played a big hand in it. Safety Jalen Thompson was flagged for another lowering the helmet penalty and cornerback Marco Wilson committed pass interference on deep ball to Terry McLaurin. The fouls added up to 67 yards and put Howell in position to hit Brian Robinson for a seven-yard touchdown that put the Commanders up 7-0 at home.