The Commanders returned home after a long road trip and continued their winning ways during Week 5, beating the Cleveland Browns 34-13 at Northwest Stadium. Linebackers Frankie Luvu and Bobby Wagner, running back Austin Ekeler and head coach Dan Quinn all had games that deserve a special shoutout as Washington rolled to its fourth win in a row.

Frankie Luvu

Frankie Luvu fired warning shots last weekend against the Cardinals: he's a problem for offenses. In that win, the linebacker was the highest-graded Commander by Pro Football Focus (90.3) after recording seven tackles, 0.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Against the Browns, Luvu turned the havoc levels up a notch. He delivered highlight-reel plays, including a team high 2.5 sacks. Early in the second quarter, with Cleveland down by just a touchdown, he hunted down Deshaun Watson for his first sack of the game. Later in the quarter, he linked up with Wagner and tacked on another half-sack. Then, he dished out another quarterback takedown in the fourth. Yesterday's win was the third time in Luvu's career and the first time since Week 2 of last season that he has recorded multiple sacks in a game.

To go with the multiple and seven tackles, Luvu added a fumble recovery to his tally, picking up a loose ball that Wagner helped knock free in the third. Overall, it was a career-day for the 28-year-old and defensive performance Washington fans haven't seen for some time. Luvu became the first player since Ryan Kerrigan in 2020 to have at least two sacks and a fumble recovery in a game. One could say this free agent signing is panning out pretty well.

Bobby Wagner

What's better than one on-fire linebacker? Two on-fire linebackers! Wagner also had himself a game against the Cleveland Browns.

Wagner was a pain in Watson's side all day as the All Pro teamed up with Luvu for a sack in the third and then delivered a hit that left Watson kneeling on the ground exasperated. With just under six minutes to play in the third quarter and Cleveland in a second-and-short situation, Wagner brought him to ground, and Watson fumbled the ball for Luvu to recover.

The future Hall of Famer finished the day with six tackles, 1.5 sacks, two quarterback hits, one tackle for loss and one forced fumble. Those stats mark a solid day at the office, but what they don't show is just how much the vet's experience is helping to make those better around him.

"Dude is just poised. He puts in the work all week. His study habits are crazy and how he picks things up," Luvu said after the game. "So, the dude's just seen the game so much, I feel like it slowed down for him and that's something that I've kind of picked off and picking his mind towards it…I'm just blessed to be a part of something while he's still playing, I'm blessed."

This duo has already made a big difference in Washington's defense, and they seem to be getting better each game.

Austin Ekeler

Kliff Kingsbury was vocal about the unique way Ekeler influences a game after the running back was unavailable due to concussion last week against the Cardinals. The offensive coordinator called the absence of such a dynamic player a "big loss."

After working his way through the concussion protocol, the veteran RB made his return yesterday against the Browns and provided more evidence as to what Kingsbury was getting at. The running back picked up right where he left off following his strong start to 2024, finishing with 67 yards on six rushing attempts and an average of 11.2 yards per carry.

Ekeler's most dazzling play came in the third quarter, when he picked up a short pass from Daniels and ran for 50 yards to put Washington within 20 yards of the end zone. The thunder and lightning pair of Brian Robinson and Ekeler is back in business.

Dan Quinn

The records may show that this is the first time Commanders.com has given a game ball to the head coach. Dan Quinn deserves to get his flowers, because Washington is doing things Burgundy & Gold teams haven't done in a long time or even ever.

Here are just a few of accomplishments the Commanders have achieved in Dan Quinn's short time at the helm: Washington is off to a 4-1 start to the season for the first time since 2008; Per Elias Sports, Washington has won two consecutive games by 20 or more points for the first time since 1997; and Per NFL Research, Washington is the first team since 1970 to score 150-plus points in their first five games while starting a rookie QB.

The list could go on. It's been said but bears repeating: the Commanders have turned their level of play around at a speed that few, if any, could have predicted, and Quinn is at the center of that transformation.