Sonny Styles announced himself in Week 1, and now the Commanders are sweating Frankie Luvu's Week 2 status
Washington's seventh overall pick had a stunning NFL debut after Luvu went down with a groin strain in Philadelphia. Now the question heading into Dallas is whether the rookie has to do it again without the veteran beside him.
In brief
Sonny Styles announced himself in Week 1, and now the Commanders are sweating Frankie Luvu's Week 2 status
Sunday in Philadelphia was supposed to be a first look at a retooled Washington defense. It turned into something more complicated: a genuine coming-out party for the Commanders' top draft pick, shadowed immediately by injury worry at the position he was drafted to eventually own.
Luvu suffered a "minor" groin strain during Sunday's 24-22 loss to Philadelphia, and while he is not expected to land on injured reserve, there is a real chance he will not play in Sunday's NFC East showdown with the Cowboys. The Commanders also lost Chig Okonkwo in the second half when Okonkwo left with a hamstring injury. Two starters. One game. One week into a season Washington needs to go right.
The loss stings. What happened after Luvu went down is the part worth watching.
The rookie took over
The Washington Commanders knew the athlete they were getting when they drafted linebacker Sonny Styles with the seventh pick this year. They were not sure how long it would take for him to make a difference; after one game, they now know.
Rookie linebacker Sonny Styles, who wore the green dot in the second half when Frankie Luvu was sidelined with a groin injury, showed his mettle in the third quarter when he trucked Eagles running back Saquon Barkley on the way to his first career sack. On the next drive, he stuffed Barkley for a three-yard loss on a run.
Dan Quinn had been talking about this all camp. Before the game, Quinn told reporters: "Already, in like six weeks, the growth that I've seen from him... You can tell he's comfortable, even more comfortable now with the system, the people, the way it goes. But yeah, we're really pumped to unleash him." Styles made that comment look prescient.
Styles was one of the clear standouts from the afternoon, recording two tackles for loss and a sack on Jalen Hurts. It was the first time the Commanders had been able to unleash Styles' full skill set, but Quinn said there were signs about their plans for using him, mentioning multiple times in camp that they wanted to use him as a blitzer, which is how he made most of his plays against the Eagles. They also used him to cover kicks and call plays on defense when Luvu left the field.
One sack in particular saw him destroy Saquon Barkley's attempt at protection, barrel-rolling him and bringing down Jalen Hurts for a six-yard loss with fellow rookie Joshua Josephs also coming off the edge. At around the six-minute mark in the fourth quarter, Styles tackled Barkley for a loss in the backfield, and then around the 2:30 mark, he stopped Hurts at the line of scrimmage.
Just as promising as the production was much of Washington's process: it sent five-man pressures on 12 of the Eagles' 33 dropbacks and generated pressure on two-thirds of them.
The context the numbers need
Luvu earned second-team All-Pro honors with the Commanders in 2024 and is one of the NFL's best hybrid defenders, a player who can rush the passer or play off-ball linebacker with equal success. His 2025 season went sideways partly because then-defensive coordinator Joe Whitt essentially stopped having Luvu rush the passer, and his numbers went in the tank, just like Washington's season.
New coordinator Daronte Jones fixed that alignment fast. Luvu had four tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss, and a quarterback hit when he exited the game with the Commanders trailing 14-9 in the third quarter. The plan was working. Then his groin gave out.
If Luvu cannot suit up in Week 2, Leo Chenal is a candidate to see more action. According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Luvu's status for Sunday's game against Dallas "remains uncertain."
The rest of the Week 1 ledger
Washington, in its first game with 31-year-old David Blough as offensive coordinator, struggled to generate consistent offense until its final two possessions. Leading 14-9 at halftime, Philadelphia went three-and-out on each of its first three drives in the second half, setting the stage for Washington's near comeback.
Safety Tyler Owens had a viral special-teams play against the Eagles that spread across social media before Sunday night was over. Quinn said he did not get a good look at the play until after the game, but the effort Owens showed did not surprise him. The ankle Owens picked up during the game is now something to track this week too. Quinn confirmed Monday that Luvu has a groin injury, Okonkwo and Jordan Magee have hamstring issues, and Owens did something to his ankle, with more clarity expected on all four at Wednesday's practice.
Wide receiver Luke McCaffrey's fading role reached a worrying new low with a healthy scratch in Week 1. That is a smaller story, but not a quiet one in a receiver room that was supposed to have more competition this fall.
What Week 2 looks like
The Commanders entered 2026 seeking to improve upon an injury-riddled 5-12 record from the previous season, make the playoffs after a one-year absence, and end a five-year NFC East title drought. One week in, they are 0-1 and already patching bodies.
The Cowboys game at AT&T Stadium on September 20 is not a must-win this early in the year. But it is the kind of road test that separates teams that bounce back from teams that slide. Oddsmakers had placed Styles fourth among Defensive Rookie of the Year candidates before the season began, behind Rueben Bain, David Bailey, and former Ohio State teammate Caleb Downs. After Sunday, that board will probably get shuffled.
If Sunday was the first look at what an unleashed Sonny Styles looks like, Washington has plenty of reasons to keep letting him go. Whether Luvu is beside him in Dallas or not.
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CAN I KICK IT? screens New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument, on Aug. 22. (Courtesy SHAOLIN JAZZ)
The live-cinema series CAN I KICK IT? returns to the National Mall this month with what its producers are calling the "Gangsters on the Mall" chapter of their free outdoor summer run. On Saturday, August 22, the SHAOLIN JAZZ production brings the 1991 crime classic New Jack City to the Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument for a night of film, music, and community under the DC summer sky.
What sets the event apart is the sound. As the film plays, DJ 2-Tone Jones builds an original score in real time, reimagining one of the most iconic crime movies of the ’90s through hip-hop, soul, funk, and more. It is less a movie screening than a live performance built around the film.
The details:
Film: New Jack City (1991), with a live soundtrack by DJ 2-Tone Jones
When: Saturday, August 22 — seating opens at 7:30 p.m. (bring lawn chairs and blankets); film begins at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Sylvan Theater at the Washington Monument, Independence Ave SW & 15th St NW
A parking note from the organizers: expect road closures and restricted parking east of 14th Street NW due to a separate race event in the District. Roads west of 14th Street NW will be accessible and available for parking.
New Jack City is the second of three screenings in this year’s free CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series, which opened with Black Panther at Skyland Town Center and concludes with Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial on September 5. Produced by the Washington, DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, the series has presented more than 150 live cinematic experiences at venues across the country, from Lincoln Center to SXSW.
"I wanted to be able to tell good stories with substance and remove the ‘ego’ out of the art," said Andrew Huang during a recent interview. Now, he’s building his career at the intersection of discipline, creativity and innovation.
Andrew Huang, founder of New Place Studios. (Courtesy photo)
As a Chinese American, Huang was reared with a deep respect for hard work, consistency and excellence. He describes his childhood as "not so affluent" and later attended college to hone his passion for videography. "In college I tried to do something I loved, which was video, but along the way I knew that I had to find a job. And so I thought, ‘what was the low hanging fruit to get to that stable 9 to 5 job?,’" he stated.
Later in life, Huang found himself working for corporations where his creativity was often limited, eventually leading to burnout. "I worked in a corporation for a long time and there were a lot of missing pieces. I wanted to fill in gaps missing in corporate video production," said Huang.
He later described how his upbringing and a mindset of "survival" led him toward a corporate career. However, his desire for balance and authentic storytelling ultimately pushed him to take the entrepreneurial leap.
"I founded a new place where you can create video and film with ‘substance and style,’" said Huang. His desire for work-life balance and passion for storytelling naturally evolved into a small business based in Virginia. With the launch of New Place Studios, the entrepreneur quickly found himself reconnecting with the values that would become the foundation of everything he creates behind the camera.
Huang said being a business owner has allowed him to first embrace himself. While others may see video as simply capturing moments, he sees it as a way to preserve stories that inspire, connect and leave a lasting imprint.
By combining cinematic visuals with cutting-edge production techniques and a keen understanding of branding, Huang helps organizations and individuals communicate their vision with purpose. He said understanding a client’s "why" serves as the compass for delivering the services they need.
One benefit of working with a small business, he said, is that clients get to see the production process unfold through a micro lens while working with the same faces throughout the entire project. "The work feels personal," said Huang.
Huang does not regret leaving behind the flash-over-substance mentality and corporate hustle culture. That does not mean the Asian American entrepreneur has been without challenges in the industry. "It’s relatively hard to find other Asian American creatives or people who would want to work with me in the DMV," said Huang.
He identifies the industry culture in which everyone is trying to blend in, creatives may fear displaying their Asian identity and some feel pressure to adopt an American corporate persona. He also points to what he describes as a level of gatekeeping within the industry. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s 2024 statistics, Asian American and Pacific Islander entrepreneurs own more than 3 million businesses and employ 5.2 million people in the United States.
After tapping into organizations such as SCORE, which offers free small business mentorship, New Place Studios has become a trusted creative partner throughout the DMV (Washington, D.C., Maryland and Virginia). The company produces a range of creative services, including commercials, corporate branding, documentaries, film, 2D animation, motion graphics and photography.
For Huang, entrepreneurship has become more than a departure from corporate life. It has given him the freedom to create with intention, build meaningful connections and tell stories that go beyond the surface.
The 2026 CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
For three Saturdays this summer, some of Washington’s most familiar public spaces will do something they rarely do after dark: fill up with blankets, lawn chairs, and the sound of a movie being scored live, in real time. CAN I KICK IT?, the traveling “live cinema” series produced by the DC-based multimedia arts company SHAOLIN JAZZ, is bringing a free outdoor run to the city — pairing three era-defining films with an original soundtrack performed on the spot by DJ 2-Tone Jones.
The premise is what sets it apart from a normal screening in the park. Rather than simply pressing play, 2-Tone Jones builds a score as the film unfolds, pulling from hip-hop, soul, funk, jazz, rock, electronic music, and sounds from around the world. The result, the organizers say, is less a movie night than a one-time performance — the same film you know, wired to a soundtrack you have never heard and will not hear again. Guest DJs warm up the crowd starting at 7:30 PM before each 8:30 PM screening.
The 2026 outdoor schedule
All three events are free and open to the public.
Saturday, August 8 — Black Panther at Skyland Town Center. A pop-up marketplace and community activities kick off the evening; guest DJs at 7:30 PM, film at 8:30 PM. Marvel’s superhero epic gets a one-night-only live score in Southeast DC.
Saturday, August 22 — New Jack City at the Sylvan Theater, Washington Monument. Seating begins at 7:30 PM; the film starts at 8:30 PM. The 1991 crime drama plays out at the foot of one of the country’s most recognizable landmarks.
Saturday, September 5 — Scarface at the Lincoln Memorial. Seating at 7:30 PM; film at 8:30 PM. The series closes with Brian De Palma’s crime saga against the backdrop of the Memorial, scored live from start to finish.
First up: Black Panther at Skyland Town Center on August 8. Poster courtesy of SHAOLIN JAZZ.
A DC company with a national footprint
SHAOLIN JAZZ describes itself as a Washington-based arts company working at the intersection of music, film, art, and culture, and CAN I KICK IT? is its signature production. According to the organizers, the series has staged more than 150 live cinematic experiences around the country — at performing arts centers, museums, festivals, and cultural institutions including Lincoln Center in New York, SXSW, the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Republic Square in Austin, the Tacoma Armory, and The Cary Theater.
“CAN I KICK IT? has always been about creating a shared experience,” said Gerald Watson, co-founder of SHAOLIN JAZZ. “When you combine iconic films with live music in public spaces, something special happens. People aren’t just watching a movie — they’re experiencing it together. That’s what makes these nights so memorable.”
Cinema as a community event
The DC run lands as cities across the country look for new ways to activate public space through arts and culture — and this series is a straightforward pitch for how to do it: take a landmark everyone already knows, add a film everyone has an opinion about, and let a live soundtrack turn the evening into something neighbors experience shoulder to shoulder. Families, film buffs, and music fans are all invited, and admission won’t cost a thing.
The CAN I KICK IT? outdoor series runs August 8, August 22, and September 5. All events are free; check SHAOLIN JAZZ (shaolinjazz.com) for the latest details and any weather updates before heading out.
