After registering seven sacks against Deshaun Watson and the Cleveland Browns, the Washington Commanders pass rush is starting to show its true colors. The Commanders’ defense has racked up 13 sacks in the last three games, averaging four per contest. Watson saw the most of his pressures in the interior pass rush, which Cleveland’s offense was unable to defend, so the Commanders’ seven-sack performance was a clear statistical advantage. But, regardless of the tier-level quarterback they face, the Commanders’ team has no upper limit as long as the defense can continue to combine its coverage and pass rush.

The entire Trap or Dive post-game recap episode is available for listening below. We talked about:

Kliff Kingsbury’s sluggish start against Jim Schwartz was short-lived as Frankie Luvu once again made a significant difference.
A commander’s pass blitz against the Browns came to life.
The offense, led by Jayden Daniels, keeps shattering team and league records.

After their fourth straight victory, commanders referred to them as a “Complete Playoff Team.”

With their fourth straight victory and their hottest player, rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels—who isn’t even acting like a rookie—the Washington Commanders are the hottest team in the NFL.

Bleacher Report referred to the Commanders as a “complete playoff team” following their 34-13 victory over the Cleveland Browns in Week 5 to raise their record to 4-1. This was due to their formidable offense and rapidly developing defense.

The Commanders haven’t won a postseason game since 2005, and they haven’t had a winning season since 2016.

According to Bleacher Report: “A few weeks prior, Daniels and the offense’s explosive performance on Monday night helped the Commanders surprise the Cincinnati Bengals.” But Washington gave up 33 points and 436 offensive yards in that contest. Washington’s defense has changed drastically since then, both in terms of appearance and style of play. Last week, it limited the Arizona Cardinals to 296 yards and 14 points. On Sunday, it limited Cleveland to 212 yards and 13 points.

The defense of Washington has improved under new head coach Dan Quinn, who brought in a plethora of new defensive starters during free agency after serving as the Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator for the previous three seasons.

Commanders are being led by new linebackers.

Veterans Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu have been leading the way for the Commanders this season as free agents at linebacker.

Wagner and Luvu combined for 13 tackles, 4.0 sacks, 4 tackles for loss, 5 quarterback hits, and 1 fumble recovery against the Browns.

After leading the NFL with 183 tackles in 2023 while playing for the Seattle Seahawks, Wagner signed a one-year, $8.5 million contract with the Commanders in March 2024. He also made his ninth Pro Bowl and his tenth NFL All-Pro Team.

After averaging 118 tackles per game over the previous two seasons with the Carolina Panthers, Luvu signed a three-year, $36 million contract as a free agent with the Commanders.

Prior to the season, PFF’s John Kosko ranked Wagner, 34, as the fifteenth-best NFL player over thirty years old. With 44 tackles, Wagner leads the Commanders. Luvu leads the squad in tackles with 37.

Wagner continues to be one of the best linebackers in the NFL, as seen by his two straight seasons of 91.1 or higher PFF run-defense grades, according to Kosko. “However, his coverage ability has suffered as he has only once in the last five seasons received a grade above 70.0 in that facet.”

Before the 2024 season, Ben Standig of The Athletic predicted that Luvu would be the Washington Commanders’ “Non-QB MVP.”

“Luvu, one of the Commanders’ key free-agent signings this offseason, brings the versatility to play multiple positions,” Standig wrote. “At 27, Luvu is a rising talent, having posted back-to-back 100-tackle seasons with 12.5 combined sacks. He will be on the field every down, with the coaching staff rotating the defensive line based on where they want to utilize this aggressive playmaker.”

INTERCEPTION

(…or sack/fumble?)

Either way, Frankie Luvu steals this football from Deshaun Watson and it's Commanders ball!#RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/8xJo1kKbwK

— Chad Ryan (@ChadwikoTWW) October 6, 2024

Previewing the Commanders’ Upcoming Schedule

The Commanders won’t have a bye week until Week 14, by which time we’ll likely know if their strong start to the 2024 season was legitimate.

Over the next four games, the Commanders are expected to be strong favorites in Week 7 against the Carolina Panthers and Week 9 against the New York Giants. They face a major challenge in Week 6 against the Baltimore Ravens and 2-time MVP Lamar Jackson. Week 8 features a highly anticipated matchup between the top two picks of the 2024 NFL Draft, as Daniels (No. 2 pick) takes on the Chicago Bears and quarterback Caleb Williams (No. 1 pick).