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"A monumental win," Arrington said of the
victory that ended a losing streak of five in a row at home and seven straight
overall to the Eagles while improving the Redskins to 5-3, 5-1 in the NFC and
2-1 in the NFC East.
"Hopefully, we can put that story behind us,"
Arrington said of the weekly soap opera about his playing time or lack of it.
"LaVar's preparation over the last two or three
weeks has been excellent and that has been reflected in his play," coach
Joe Gibbs said. "We need playmakers and LaVar is capable of making big
plays. As we head down the road here, that was very encouraging for us."
Who knows? Maybe Arrington can do enough in the second
half of the season to remain a Redskin in 2006 despite his huge salary and the
tension between him and assistant head coach/defense Gregg Williams and
linebackers coach Dale Lindsey.
Fellow outside linebacker Lemar Marshall didn't know
Arrington was starting until just before kickoff, but Warrick Holdman, who had
started the first seven games, wound up not playing a snap.
"It was a quick move," Marshall said. "It
shocked us. But LaVar did a heck of a job."
Two of Arrington's six tackles were for losses, giving
him the team lead in that department with four even though he had played
little in the first five games. Holdman has just one such tackle among his 26
stops in his seven starts along with no sacks, quarterback pressures, forced
fumbles or fumble recoveries. Arrington has forced a fumble.
Player
Notes
--QB Mark Brunell bounced back from a horrid outing
against the New York Giants with an extremely efficient performance,
completing 21 of 29 passes for 224 yards against the talented Philadelphia
secondary. Brunell didn't throw an interception but did lose a fumble on one
of the three sacks he took.
--QB Patrick Ramsey was back to sideline duty after
playing when the game got out of hand the previous two weeks. Ramsey will be
in the NFL next season, but probably not in Washington.
--RB Clinton Portis wasn't as ineffective as he had been
against the Giants (a career-worst 9 yards on four carries), but he wasn't a
big weapon either. Portis averaged just 3.2 yards on his 21 carries despite
the second quarter 15-yard burst that put him over 5,000 for his career and
the 6-yard TD run that proved to be the game-winner.
--RB Ladell Betts carried twice for just 4 yards, but his
26-yard catch - which came just three plays after his 40-yard kickoff return -
helped set up Clinton Portis' TD. Betts averaged 23 yards on his other two
kick returns.
--WR Santana Moss didn't have a catch over 20 yards for
the second straight week but still hauled in seven passes for 79 yards. His
18-yard grab on third-and-17 was the big play in the drive that ended in K
John Hall's 24-yard field goal.
--WR David Patten was held without a catch, a week after
managing just one catch for 6 yards at New York.
--TE/H-back Mike Sellers not only scored his first career
rushing TD, but he caught three passes for 26 yards. Sellers tied Moss for the
team TD lead with five, equaling his total during his previous five seasons.
--TE/H-back Chris Cooley had a big game, catching seven
passes for a team-high 85 yards, a week after being carted to the locker room
with knee and hip injuries. Cooley caught balls on all three scoring drives,
although he fumbled at the Philadelphia 6 on the last one before being saved
by LG Derrick Dockery's fumble recovery.
--K John Hall got on the field for the first time since
pulling his right quadriceps in the Sept. 11 season opener. Hall booted a
24-yard field goal and two extra points and sent his last three kickoffs
inside the Philadelphia 10. However, his first kickoff in eight weeks sailed
out of bounds.
--RDE Phillip Daniels, who had missed the latter part of
the New York game with a sprained ankle, tied for the team lead with six
tackles, including the sack that prevented Philadelphia from attempting a FG
before the first half expired.
--SLB Marcus Washington ended one Eagles threat by
sacking Donovan McNabb for a 6-yard loss at the Washington 47 with 13:55
remaining. Washington finished with seven tackles and ranks second on the team
with 66 this season, four behind MLB Lemar Marshall.
--SS Ryan Clark, who had a career-high 11 solo tackles
and his first career interception against the Giants, clinched the victory
over the Eagles by picking off McNabb's pass for Greg Lewis at the Washington
3 with 1:32 left.
