Commanders linebacker had two fines levied against him.
Washington Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu (4) recovers fumble from Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
Washington Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu was not flagged for levying a big helmet-to-helmet hit on Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff.
The NFL fined Luvu $16,883 for a blow to the head/neck area in the Divisional Round playoff contest at Ford Field. Unfortunately for the Lions, the play eventually resulted in a pick-six.
During analysis of the play, FOX rules analyst Mike Pereira expressed publicly the hit should have been flagged.
Goff’s interception was returned to the end zone by Quan Martin, and gave the Commanders a 24-14 lead. Had the Lions possibly held the Commanders to a field goal, the stunning outcome, a 45-31 upset loss, may have turned out differently for Dan Campbell’s squad.
The NFL fined #Commanders LB Frankie Luvu $16,883 for roughing the passer (blow to the head/neck) — his block on #Lions QB Jared Goff that aided a pick-six return.
No flag was thrown on what ended up being a pivotal play in Washington’s upset win.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 25, 2025
According to NFL rules, “A passer who is standing still or fading backward after the ball has left his hand is obviously out of the play and must not be unnecessarily contacted by an opponent through the end of the down or until the passer becomes a blocker, or a runner, or, in the event of a change of possession during the down, until he assumes a distinctly defensive position. However, at any time after the change of possession, it is a foul if (1) an opponent forcibly hits the quarterback’s head or neck area with his helmet, face mask, forearm, or shoulder.”
Luvu was also fined an additional $16,883 for a hip-drop tackle on Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
Goff was asked following the disappointing loss if things felt “off” for him or his team at any point during the game.
“We let it kind of get away from us during the first half, come back, kind of fight back – get a stop on defense, we score and yeah, we were down three points,” said Goff. “You’d like to think that was kind of our turning point, and again, we let it slip away.”
