Commanders bench Sam Howell, will start Jacoby Brissett at QB vs. 49ers

The starting quarterback job for the Washington Commanders no longer belongs to Sam Howell.

Jacoby Brissett will start against the NFC-leading San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, head coach Ron Rivera announced Wednesday, following two straight games in which the veteran backup has relieved the second-year starter.

Rivera wouldn't say whether that meant Brissett would start the final game of the regular season against the Dallas Cowboys. He also said that he advised ownership, which will make a decision on Rivera's own future in the coming weeks, of the decision.

"This is about Sam's continued development," Rivera said. "Things hadn't gone as well as we'd like the last few weeks, so we just think this is a good opportunity for him to watch."

The Commanders have lost a league-worst six straight games and Howell has struggled during that span with a 57.4 completion percentage and eight interceptions.

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Over 15 games, Howell leads the league with 18 interceptions and has been sacked 60 times. The offense moved the ball more consistently after Brissett's insertions against the Los Angeles Rams and New York Jets.

"I think this is an opportunity for (Howell) to take a breath," Rivera said.

Washington entered the season with its focus on handing the starting role to Howell, a fifth-round pick who started the final week of the 2022 season, with Brissett as the veteran option if that didn't seem viable during training camp. But Howell didn't do anything to lose the job then, and Rivera wanted to commit to the young quarterback in an effort to create a long-term plan at the position.

Brissett will be the ninth starting quarterback for the team since Rivera took over in 2020.

"I think (Howell) has a bright future in this league, I really do," Rivera said.

He added: "We're all culpable in this situation. This is not an indictment on Sam ... this has been a long year, for everybody."