Hogs Haven
Survey results!!
The offense of the Washington Commanders has been on fire, leading the league in points scored, points per game, scoring margin, and advanced metrics like EPA per play.
The defense has struggled more, currently ranking 18th in rushing yards allowed per game, 16th in total yards per game, and 15th in points per game given up. Several advanced metrics rank the Washington defense lower; for example, by DVOA, the Commanders rank 23rd (Vikings rank 1st, Jaguars rank last).
Anyone who has watched the Commanders play football for the first 7 weeks of the regular season is likely to feel that the defense has been improving. Tackling, which looked pretty bad against the Buccaneers in Week 1, has gotten better. Also, after going 5 weeks without an interception, the Commanders picked off Lamar Jackson once in Week 6 and Andy Dalton twice in Week 7. After getting just 4 sacks in the first three games, the Commanders have improved the pass rushing statistics, and currently rank 12th in sacks per game for the season, but are tied for 4th in sacks per game over the most recent 3 games.
Still, just two weeks ago, Washington surrendered 484 yards of offense to the Ravens, and were unable to contain Baltimore’s passing or running attacks, with RB Derrick Henry and WR Zay Flowers each achieving 132 yards, with Henry running for 2 TDs.
As the Commanders defensive unit has worked to improve its communication and execution this season, some players have shined more than others.
Dante Fowler, for example, leads the team in sacks (4.5) and returned his first-ever interception for a touchdown to open the scoring last Sunday against the Panthers. His fellow defensive ends, Dorance Armstrong and Clelin Ferrell, have each missed some time due to injury, but have added another 5 sacks between them. Against the Panthers, 2nd year CB Emmanuel Forbes was responsible for the game’s second interception. Per Pro Football Reference, Bobby Wagner leads the team with 62 tackles, putting him on pace for 151 for the full season.
With many players shining in many individual ways on a defensive unit that hasn’t positively distinguished itself overall very often this season, we asked Hogs Haven readers this week to tell us which of the Commanders’ defensive player is having the best season.
The results were pretty overwhelming.
A very strong majority — 78% of those responding to our survey question — identified LB Frankie Luvu, a key offseason free agent signing, as the player on the defensive side of the ball who is having the best season.
To appreciate Frankie Luvu, you probably have to see him play. It’s almost impossible to talk or write about the veteran linebacker without using the words “energy” and “excitement”, though those traits don’t always show up on the stats sheet.
Dan Quinn named Luvu the defensive captain ahead of the Giants game in Week 2. Here’s how the team website reported that:
Luvu, who the team acquired during...
