Frankie Luvu was one of the Washington Commanders' best players during the 2024 season, when they went 12-5 and shocked the NFL world en route to the NFC Championship game.
The former Carolina Panthers and New York Jets linebacker earned second-team All-Pro honors while emerging as the enforcer of Washington's defense and an immediate fan favorite. But, like most of his Commanders teammates, it's been a different story in 2025.
His numbers are down, with three sacks, five tackles for loss, and five quarterback hits, compared to eight, 12, and 14 in 2024. More importantly, his lack of discipline has been exposed.
Frankie Luvu's tough guy act only worked when the Commanders were winning
Washington fans were already endeared to Luvu for his performance throughout the 2024 season. Still, he became an instant cult hero during the NFC title game by attempting to enact vigilante justice against the Philadelphia Eagles' controversial "tush push" play. The hard-nosed linebacker intentionally jumped over the line of scrimmage multiple times to draw neutral zone infractions, until the officials had to threaten to award Philly an automatic touchdown if it kept up.
The Eagles eventually scored. It didn't matter. Everybody loved it.
Luvu was playing the agent of chaos, making an absolute mockery out of a play that the rest of the NFL is sick of. He could get away with costing his team in the moment as long as the statement was made. That's the type of relentless warrior he is.
He's also the type of player who was nearly suspended earlier this year for repeated hip-drop tackles, and who might have cost Washington a shot at a win on Christmas Day against the Dallas Cowboys with a completely boneheaded late hit on Dak Prescott.
The Commanders had climbed back within a touchdown after trailing 21-3, and Von Miller had just sacked the star passer on third down. Then, Luvu, who didn't realize Prescott was down, tackled him.
It resulted in a 15-yard penalty and a new set of downs for Dallas. The Cowboys scored a field goal on the drive, reclaiming a multi-score advantage.
It's the little things like this that make the difference between wins and losses. The Commanders had all of the momentum. They were going to get the ball back with a chance to tie the game. But after Luvu's stunt, they were back to scoreboard chasing.
This has been an issue with Luvu all season, along with his missed-tackle and speed issues. Part of the reason for his struggles is that he's been played out of position to fill in for Washington's injury woes at defensive end, but that's no excuse.
At his best, Luvu is a physical demon who can take over games with his big hits and relentless energy. When the team was winning, he could get away with questionable decisions because the entire defense fed off his fire.
Now? He's just undisciplined.