Sean Taylor has been named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in last Sunday's 17-13 win over the Carolina Panthers at FedExField.
Taylor had two key plays in the final minutes of the game, with the Redskins holding on to a 17-13 lead.
Facing a 4th-and-6 at the Redskins' 33-yard line, Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme threw a short pass to wide receiver Drew Carter. Taylor came up and tackled Carter two yards short of the first down.
The Panthers had one last chance, but Taylor stepped up again. He ran across field to intercept a Delhomme pass in the end zone, sealing the win for the Redskins.
For the game, Taylor had five tackles and two passes defended, to go along with the interception.
It has been a relatively quiet season for Taylor, who is in his third NFL season. He leads the team in tackles with 89 and has three forced fumbles, but Sunday's interception was his first of the season.
"For the year, I think Sean has had great concentration," head coach Joe Gibbs said on Monday. "I think he has made just about every practice. Sean has been real focused. There are a lot of reasons why we don't play well, but Sean's play has been a bright spot for us.
"Whenever he gets his hands on the ball, good things seem to happen for us."
Until Sunday, Taylor's biggest play of the season came in Week 9 when he recovered a blocked field goal and raced 30 yards to help set up a game-winning field goal against Dallas.
-- PRACTICE SQUAD: SUISHAM SIGNED
The Redskins have signed kicker Shaun Suisham to the practice squad. Suisham, formerly with the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys, was at Redskins Park on Tuesday.
Suisham, 6-0 and 205 pounds, is a second-year player out of Bowling Green. He kicked in three games for Dallas in 2005, connecting on 3-of-4 field goal attempts.
Suisham played in the Cowboys' first two games of the 2006 season, hitting on 1-of-2 field goals including a career-long 32-yarder. Dallas released Suisham on Oct. 12 and he briefly joined the 49ers' practice squad.
Overall, Suisham has played in six games and is 4-of-6 on field goals and 10-for-10 on PATs.
Suisham is expected to join kicker Nick Novak on the Redskins Park practice fields on Wednesday.
To make room for Suisham, the Redskins released wide receiver Ryan Hoag from the practice squad.
