'Discipline and Hitting' the Keys to Washington Commanders Containing Saquon Barkley

The Washington Commanders face a tough matchup Sunday, but that's how its supposed to be in the NFC Championship Game.

Nov 24, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu (4) gestures to fans in the stands after making a tackle against the Dallas Cowboys at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

ASHBURN, Va. -- The Washington Commanders face a tough test this weekend as they look to book a trip to New Orleans to compete in this year's Super Bowl.

If the Commanders pull it off, they'll have taken down the champions of the NFC South, North, and East Divisions. And they'll have done it on the road for each trip while being labeled underdogs.

In each of its first two postseason victories, Washington didn't completely shut down the biggest playmakers on the opposing team, but it did enough to prevent those stars from taking over. Doing that against Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley could be the key to taking down their third champion in a row.

Nov 24, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu (4) gestures to fans in the stands after making a tackle against the Dallas Cowboys at Northwest Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

"He does a good job of finding these little creases and finding gaps," Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu said of Barkley on Wednesday. "On our side of the ball on defense, we just gotta be in our gaps and be really disciplined...he's going to test every gap, so we just gotta be disciplined, and when the time comes, we just gotta make our hits."

That discipline is what broke down twice when the Eagles first met–and beat–Washington in Week 11. Barkley took advantage of some of the same mistakes on his way to an explosvie first half in the rematch between the teams, a Week 16 game the Commanders were able to come back and win in the final seconds of the fourth quarter.

So its easier said than done, for certain, but you won't likely find Luvu out of position on those or any other plays for the Commanders' defense. Something that led to his finishing third on the team in tackles, second in tackles for loss, tied for first place in quarterback hits, and second in sacks. Those numbers landed Luvu the second alternate spot at outside linebacker for the NFC Pro Bowl squad and Second-Team All-Pro Honors.

"That's been one of my goals. I wrote it down at the beginning of the year: I wanted to be (First-Team) All-Pro, but just being an All-Pro is just a testament to the work that I've been putting in and the guys and coaches who play a huge part in where I'm at," Luvu shared.

Now, he's got a new goal, one that he shares with every member of his team and organization. That goal is to become Super Bowl Champions. However, he and his team also know that to get there, they need to first win this game against the Eagles for the right to be called NFC Champions. And it's another goal Luvu believes is attainable, saying, "They're a good football team. They got something special. (But) I like my cards better than them."

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