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IN A TORRENTIAL DOWNPOUR Frankie Luvu appeared to be having the time of his life. The former Washington State defenseman was stomping mudholes and making life downright miserable for Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams.
With Chicago up a score late in the first half, Williams and Co. were threatening once again deep in Commanders territory, aggressively going for it on fourth-and-one. Former Husky receiver Rome Odunze would settle in the middle underneath, bracing for an easy completion before Luvu broke into the frame and swatted the pass away Mutombo style, sending the 65,000 in Landover into a frenzy.
On Chicago's final possession of the first half, Luvu utterly stone-walled Williams as he scrambled outside the pocket for a third-down sack
Luvu in the second half helped keep Chicago's run game very much in check, with Washington limiting D'Andre Swift to just 25 second-half rushing yards up until the final two minutes of the contest.
Unfortunately for the Commanders, Chicago would ultimately regain the lead in the game's waning seconds, following a Jayden Daniels fumble late in the fourth quarter. The mishap led to a Bears game-winning field goal, as they escaped Landover with a heart-pounding 25-24 victory.
"We try to go out there and be perfect, but it won't always play out the way we want," Luvu told reporters in the postgame. "We play this game in rain, snow, any condition that we've got to play in, there's no excuse. Everybody else plays in these types of conditions. We practice in it, and we prepare for it."
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS CORNERBACK Jaylen Watson was a man on a mission against Detroit on Sunday Night Football, helping lock down the normally all but un-guardable Amon-Ra St. Brown to the tune of just 45 yards and no touchdowns.
It followed a particularly rough outing last week when Watson was burned for two long passes on the Jaguars final game-winning drive. But Watson did what any great cornerback does, which is have the memory of a goldfish, and focus on making the next play. His excellent showing in the Chiefs 30-17 win should silence any critics at least for this week.
It's worth noting that Watson's secondary mate, Jaden Hicks, saw only a third of the snaps that he typically receives as a rotational safety. It's a peculiar decision by the Chiefs staff, considering the sheer volume of game-altering plays Hicks has been making lately. But there's no question of how well the Chiefs starters (including Watson) were performing on Sunday night, and this may have just been a case of riding the hot hands.
DAIYAN HENLEY PACED
The defensive captain led the way in playing 92 percent of defensive snaps, and the only real shortcomings to Henley's performances as of late have come in suspect pass coverage. That should be highly correctable, as defending the pass was Henley's most prized skill coming out of WSU.
The former Wazzu ‘backer is on pace for 130 tackles, 6 sacks, and three interceptions this season. Production of that caliber would certainly put Henley on his way to garnering his first NFL postseason award.
NFL Coug nuggets:
Carolina Panthers nickelback Chau Smith-Wade slid right back into his typical role after missing a week with a chest injury. The second-year pro was instrumental in shutting down Dak Prescott and Co. in the fourth quarter, helping seal Carolina's 30-27 upset victory over Dallas.
Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin had a little fun with defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale, dropping the 300-pounder into pass coverage on fourth down late in the game against Cleveland, flabbergasting rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel in the process. The play design would net the Steelers a vicious sack, en route to a 23-9 trouncing.
Seattle Seahawks right tackle Abraham Lucas has been a model of consistency. For the third straight week, he was the highest graded Hawks o-lineman on PFF.
New England Patriots rookie receiver Kyle Williams played just 14 snaps and recorded zero receptions against the Saints. It's his fourth game with zero catches, and it will likely take an injury in the New England receiving room for Williams to move up.
Related: The early glimpse of WSU at Virginia, powered by Thomas Hammer’s Ol’ Crimson Coffee
Frankie Luvu (Photo: Getty/Neill)