Commanders' LB Frankie Luvu has high expectations ahead of Eagles bout

PHILADELPHIA -- In many ways, linebacker Frankie Luvu has been the heart and soul of this year's Washington Commanders' squad.

Undrafted out of Washington State, Luvu spent his first three years fighting for playing time with the New York Jets before fighting for a starting role with the Carolina Panthers for the next three seasons. Now, with the Commanders, Luvu is fighting for a whole different set of achievements.

Luvu came to Washington looking for "Just a fresh start, and knowing that (head coach Dan Quinn) came here - I know what type of scheme he kind of ran - it was going to fit me," Luvu says. An opportunity to not only start but be part of a winning plan. Luvu said he'll always hold Carolina in a special place in his heart, but just talking to him about the opportunity awaiting him and his teammates on Sunday you can see how happy he is with his decision.

Washington Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu. — Nov 24, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu (4) celebrates after making a play Dallas Cowboys during the second quarter at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Luvu left the Panthers with a career-high seven sacks, a mark he earned during the 2022 NFL Season as part of the league's 17th-ranked defense. That team went 7-10, missed the playoffs, and Luvu's career season was all but forgotten because of it.

When he arrived at the Commanders, there was a small group of fans who knew what he might be able to bring to the table. For the rest, it took a little bit of time. Not much, by the end of training camp most of the fan base was pretty fired up for what might be coming from No. 4.

Someone who always knew what Luvu would bring to the Washington defense is linebacker Bobby Wagner. During his days starring on the Seattle Seahawks' defense, he and Luvu worked out and got to know one another before his current teammate made the jump to the NFL.

Luvu's own expectations about what teaming up with Wagner for the first time on the same roster would bring were high, and he says every one of them has been met.

"Everything that we're doing right now, getting the defense right. Communication. Flying to the ball, tackling, hitting. Just make sure our defensive football...me just being a wingman, just echoing his calls, making sure everybody's aligned, make sure everybody get the checks and when they see that we just moving and set that as an example for the guys and that's a huge reason why I came here too," Luvu said.

That relationship between players who knew each other off the field before becoming teammates, a coach whose scheme is tailor-made for Luvu's skillset, and an organization thirsty for energy with a fanbase just waiting to embrace a career-long underdog - not that he'd ever count himself as one. All of those things have come together to give the Commanders' linebacker a new spark to his career, leading to a new high of eight sacks in a single season and enabling him to help lead a charge to the NFC Championship Game in the first year of his 'fresh start'.

Luvu doesn't plan on this weekend being the last, though, even as Eagles fans and media try to villainize his trademark aggressive style of play. He says he expects his team to be the one left standing when the final whistle sounds at the end of the 2024 NFC Championship Game.

"We're gonna stand on it, man, and I truly believe that," Luvu says about the upcoming game in Philadelphia. "We put in the work that's our calling, and we didn't come this far just to come this far. I know the guys are ready, prepared, and healthy, and however long it takes, we're going to be there."

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