Washington Commanders starting quarterback Sam Howell had an impressive performance in the first half of the team's preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night, and head coach Ron Rivera detailed what pleased him about Howell's performance.

“Sam did exactly what we were hoping and expecting he would do,” Ron Rivera said, via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “Went out and executed, took control of the offense, took control of the huddle, did a good job at the line of scrimmage. I thought he executed and handled the situation and circumstances the way we hoped he'd do.”

Sam Howell completed 19 of his 25 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns without any turnovers. Howell's drive before halftime which ended with a touchdown throw to Dyami Brown was especially impressive. Howell did take two sacks, and Rivera said he was accountable for those plays.

“First thing he told me is, ‘Those two sacks were on me, coach.' He said, ‘I gotta make quicker decisions, I gotta get rid of the ball better,'” Rivera said, via Smith. “I thought the offensive line handled it pretty well.”

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The hope is for new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy has created an offense that Howell can thrive in. The early returns were good in Monday's game against the Yankees.

“We feel confident in who he is,” Rivera said, via Smith. “There's a lot of reasons to be optimistic.”

Howell thrived in Eric Bieniemy's offense on Monday. It will be interesting to see if he carries that over to week 1 when the Commanders face the Arizona Cardinals at home.