The Bombers struggled to match West Coast's brilliance in their 57-point loss at Patersons Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Ruckman Dean Cox (29 hit-outs and two goals) and on-ballers Matt Priddis (27 possessions), Daniel Kerr (25 disposals) and Luke Shuey (23 touches) all impressed for the Eagles, who took control of the game with 14 goals to four after half-time.
Howlett said Essendon's inability to limit their effectiveness was crucial to the outcome and it would have to be better at stopping the key midfielders of the top sides if it makes the finals, which it can all but ensure with victory against Port Adelaide next week.
""Their midfield is fantastic, with guys like Kerr, Priddis and Shuey, they're very hard to shut down. They were fantastic,"" Howlett, who spent most of the game on Priddis, said.
""But we're really going to have to improve our defensive pressure, our attack on the ball and our contested ball, which West Coast was really good at.
""We really pride ourselves in our contested ball and we were really disappointing with that, so that's an area we're going to have to lift.
""We let ourselves down a bit [on the weekend], but I'm really confident that we can improve on that and get to where we need to be.""
Essendon was affected by injuries throughout the match after losing captain Jobe Watson and Andrew Welsh to concussionn and Stewart Crameri to a shoulder ailment.
Howlett said the lack of bench rotations was compounded by the heat and the big ground and left the Bombers fatigued in the second half, but said that was no excuse for their fadeout.
Despite the heavy loss, Howlett said he was impressed by several Essendon players, including rookie Dyson Heppell, which was an assessment shared by coach James Hird.
""[He was] outstanding, absolutely outstanding. We're very fortunate to have Dyson at the football club and we hope he has a very long career with us,"" Hird said.
In a match billed as the showdown between the two leading NAB AFL Rising Star candidates, Heppell staked his claim with 14 kicks, 12 handballs and seven marks across half-back, but Hird said fellow contender Luke Shuey was fantastic for West Coast.
""They're both very talented players and are doing a great job for their clubs this year. Obviously I see a lot more of Dyson, but Shuey's year has been outstanding as well,"" he said.
""We hope our boy wins it, but I don't think we'd be too upset if it went the other way.""
