Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn has been on the defensive side of the sport before becoming the main coach. But his own players crossed the line against the Seahawks QB Sam Darnold & co. And it has taken hard action now.

The NFL fined linebacker Frankie Luvu twice this season earlier for using a hip drop tackle. But during the Week 9 loss against the Seahawks, he again used it during the first quarter. This time, he did it on a 2nd & 17 down with 8:01 remaining in the first quarter. Basically, the league’s view is that WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba could have suffered an injury. The Seahawks signed a 4-year, $14.4 million deal with Sam Darnold’s receiver.

When Luvu did it for the third time, the league suspended him for one game without pay. The referees did not call it a penalty during the game, but the monitoring team observed it. The Commanders will get him back after their Week 10 game against the Detroit Lions on November 9. The NFL has already banned the play, deeming it dangerous for the players.

This is the third time Luvu has been punished for the same kind of tackle. He was fined $23,186 in Week 4 for the same hip drop tackle against the Falcons. It doubled to $46,372 in Week 8 against the Chiefs. But the 3rd time violation forced the league to take hard action. Now, he is the first player ever to be suspended under this rule.

Luvu will lose about $508,000 if the suspension stays. But he plans to appeal the decision as the Commanders are already struggling, having lost four games in a row. Their defense is also missing key players. Cornerback Marshon Lattimore tore his ACL against the Seahawks and will miss the rest of the season. Safety Will Harris and defensive ends Deatrich Wise Jr. and Dorance Armstrong are also on injured reserve.

One of Luvu’s most famous clips is when he leaped over the Eagles‘ line of scrimmage multiple times during the 2024 NFC Championship games. But he is an important pillar. In 9 games this year, the Commanders’ linebacker has 50 tackles (25 solo), 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and 2 passes defended.

But his suspension is a setback for Quinn. He is already under a lot of pressure.

Dan Quinn should have learned from Sam Darnold’s example

The Seahawks were cruising throughout the entire Week 9 game. Sam Darnold completed most consecutive passes (17) in a game. It’s a franchise record. But when the Hawks saw that they were winning, they benched him and gave the backup QB Drew Lock some live reps.

On the other hand, even when Quinn saw that they were losing, he kept pushing his QB Jayden Daniels to the brink. In the end, the signal caller dislocated his left elbow during the fourth quarter. The coach admitted that he should have taken Daniels out earlier. Quinn said doctors are still doing more tests, but the injury will keep Daniels out for a while. An X-ray showed no fracture.

“I just missed it. That’s 100% on me,” Quinn said. “The hindsight part is the hardest one. That’s what I think about all night and nonstop.”

While Sam Darnold was the star, Daniels was under heavy pressure all night. Defenders pressured him on 51% of his dropbacks, the highest rate of his career. They also hit him 14 times, including on 61% of his plays in the second half. Daniels has already missed three games this year, two with a sprained knee and one with a hamstring injury.

So, times are tough for the Commanders now!