The Redskins' defense was shorthanded again in Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals, with four key players among the team's inactive players. Once again, the replacements rose to the occasion and were key as the Redskins hung on to win in Arizona 17-13 at Sun Devil Stadium.
The Redskins deactivated weak-side linebacker LaVar Arrington, who missed practice last week due to a thigh injury. Warrick Holdman, who started the first seven games of the regular season, replaced Arrington in the starting lineup, with Chris Clemons coming in on third-down packages.
Defensive tackles Joe Salave'a and Cedric Killings were deactivated for Sunday's game.
Salave'a had been nursing a foot injury, while Killings had a groin injury. The absence of Salave'a and Killings meant that assistant head coach-defense Gregg Williams went with a defensive tackle rotation that includes Demetric Evans, Ryan Boschetti and rookie Aki Jones.
Without Arrington, Salave'a and Killings, the Redskins shut down the Cardinals' run game, which had been ranked 32nd in the NFL heading into the game.
The Redskins' defense limited Arizona to just 62 rushing yards, making the Cardinals offense one-dimensional.
Cornerback Walt Harris was also deactivated due to a calf injury. Harris's absence meant that third-year cornerback Ade Jimoh saw increased playing time as the third cornerback against the Cardinals' high-powered passing offense.
Williams showed that he would be more than willing to experiment with various defensive alignments in the game. The defense opened up with four safeties in the secondary, with Matt Bowen, Ryan Clark, Sean Taylor and Pierson Prioleau in the starting lineup.
As expected, wide receiver James Thrash was also deactivated. Thrash, who missed his third consecutive game, has been hampered by a hamstring injury.
The Redskins' complete list of inactive players was as follows: Harris, running back Nehemiah Broughton, Arrington, Thrash, tight end Robert Johnson, Killings and Salave'a. Jason Campbell was listed as the Redskins' third quarterback.
The Cardinals deactivated cornerbacks Raymond Walls and Eric Green, running back James Jackson, safety Ernest Shazor, linebacker Isaac Keys and offensive linemen Elton Brown and Jeremy Bridges. John Navarre was listed as the third quarterback.
