Jacoby Brissett will get his first start of the season when the Washington Commanders face the San Francisco 49ers in Week 17. The 31-year-old quarterback will start in place of rookie Sam Howell, who has gone 4-11 this season as Washington's starting quarterback.
Sunday will be the 49th NFL start for Brissett, a 2016 third-round pick who won a Super Bowl ring as Tom Brady's backup during his rookie season. Brissett, who started 11 games last season for the Browns, has thrown more than twice as many career touchdown passes (51) than interceptions (23) entering Sunday's game against the 49ers' third-round scoring defense.
Brissett has seen extensive time in each of the past two weeks. He threw two touchdown passes in Washington's 28-20 loss to the Rams in Week 15 before throwing a touchdown in last week's 30-28 loss to the New York Jets. Brissett completed a combined 78.3 percent of his passes in those games.
Howell's numbers this season tell the story of a talented albeit raw quarterback. While he has 19 touchdowns and 3,624 passing yards, he has a league-high 17 interceptions. Howell has also been sacked a league-high 60 times.
Instead of exposing him to possibly more punishment, the Commanders would rather sit Howell while also giving him a chance to watch an experienced veteran during the season's final two games.
