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ASHBURN – Trent Williams did not participate in the biggest offensive match of Sunday's Redskins-Giants game, a 64-yard touchdown led by Adrian Peterson.
D.J. Swearinger came out of the position to make the game's biggest defensive play, a red-zone interception of Eli Manning where he knew exactly what would happen.
Several Redskins players said after Sunday's 20-13 win – which had taken the team to 5-2 – that the team's success was a tribute not only to the talent pool, but also to deliberate consistency that Washington had put under Jay Gruden.
This is the fifth season of Gruden. He is the oldest coach of team owner Dan Snyder.
The Redskins also had an injury-ridden 2017 season, a season that forced the team's substitutes to evolve and grow as players.
"Last year at about the same time, we had no one on our team," linebacker Zach Brown said of the injuries. "We had to go sign people. Many beginners had to play.
"Now I have my dogs with me."
Offensive lineman Ty Nsekhe was one of those substitutes. He qualified for Williams in the fourth quarter after a thumb injury.
Offensive line coach Bill Callahan insists that his players must learn the ins and outs of several positions, which has already paid off this year when center Chase Roullier slipped to the guard on the left while Shawn Lauvao was running out of time.
"Coach Callahan said you're never a substitute, you're always a starter, so you have to prepare yourself as a substitute," said goalkeeper Brandon Scherff. "We saw just about every look during the week. So, during a match, it seems easier. … You say, "Oh yes, I know that look."
The final pieces of the puzzle are new pieces – defensive line players Daron Payne, a rookie, and Jonathan Allen, who missed most of his rookie season last year.
With Matt Ioannidis, they have been the backbone of what the Redskins are trying to achieve this season.
Brown and Swearinger, who were signed by the Redskins last year, said that this extra year had been beneficial to them.
"It's a complicated defense," Brown said. "If you come here, it will not work. You have to sit down and learn this defense because we have so many calls and hints.
Swearinger, who is enjoying the best year of his NFL career, has regained that stability for the first time. He does not think it's a coincidence.
"It's actually the first time in my career that I've been in a system for two years," he said. "It was five years ago, five [coordinators], five defenses. It's only my second season in a defense where I feel comfortable. "
The Redskins are far from clear in the NFC East race. With Philadelphia's victory on Sunday, they play only 1½ games in the division, with the remaining two games against the Eagles.
But as they have shown so far this season, adversity is far from paralyzing this group.
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