Each week, THN will choose their three players of the game at each position. Here are week thirteen’s selections:
Offense: Clinton Portis and Rock Cartwright
Portis and Cartwright became the first Redskins duo to each rush for 100 yards in a single game since Ladell Betts and Kenny Watson did so against the Houston Texans in 2002.
Both backs had plenty of running room to work with as the offensive line provided big holes all night.
On Washington’s second offensive possession, Portis followed great blocking by Jon Jansen and Randy Thomas and ran 47 yards for his 7th touchdown of the season. That run was his second longest as a Redskin and also put him over 1,000 rushing yards for the fourth consecutive season. Portis tacked on a 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter and finished the game with 136 yards on 27 carries.
Cartwright had an outstanding game, running for a career high 118 yards on only nine carries. During the second quarter, with the Rams stacking the box, Cartwright ran to the right side for 52 yards to the Rams’ 6-yard line to set up a John Hall field goal. That is Cartwright’s longest run of his career.
Defense: Carlos Rogers
In his first career start, Rogers had the daunting task of facing two of the NFL’s best receivers in Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce. With constant pressure being applied to rookie quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, Holt and Bruce were kept in check and were not able to burn a vulnerable Redskins defense for any big plays. Rogers and Shawn Springs improved their coverage from recent weeks by allowing less breathing room between them and their designated receivers.
Rogers led the defense with six solo tackles and helped seal the Redskins victory with his second career interception late in the fourth quarter. The rookie cornerback also played very well on special teams coverage units.
Special Teams: Sean Taylor
Taylor provided some hard hits and tied Shawn Springs for the team lead with 2 special teams tackles. The Redskins coverage units were spectacular, holding former Jacksonville Jaguar David Allen to only 18 yards per kick return and just 1 yard per punt return. Taylor tackled Rams running back Arlen Harris for no gain after recovering an Allen fumble forced by Redskins safety Pierson Prioleau.
Edit: This blog was archived in May of 2016 from our original articles database.It was originally posted by Jake Russell