Washington Redskins: 7 Players Who Contributed the Most in Sunday's Win

Though it may be hard to believe, the Washington Redskins have never endured a losing streak of more than six games in a season under Dan Snyder's ownership. The six-game skid was also the longest of head coach Mike Shanahan's career, one he'd like to see halted in the near future.

With their 24-17 victory over the Seattle Seahawks, the Redskins moved to 4-7 and avoided extending a collection of worsts for their coach and franchise.

A win is a win no matter how ugly it may be, and the Redskins showed their grit against the improving Seahawks.

Needless to say that Washington had to win this game to save their spirits more than their season, and they got some big days from players who will factor in greatly in the future.

Here are the players who made the biggest contributions in the win over the Seahawks.

Honorable Mention: Santana Moss, Wide Receiver

Santana Moss had missed four games with a broken hand before his return against the Seattle Seahawks. Though he didn't have any trademark big plays or land on any highlight reels, he did exactly what he was supposed to for the Redskins receiving corps.

Moss recorded four catches for 29 yards, but was enough of a distraction to open up Jabar Gaffney and Fred Davis for a combined nine catches, and Anthony Armstrong's game-changing 50-yarder in the fourth.

The Redskins were in desperate need of a boost in their passing game, and they found it early with Moss catching a few short passes to extend drives and move the chains. At this point in his career, Moss isn't viewed as the explosive deep threat that defined his early career.

Still, teams respect his potential to break plays and make clutch catches to keep the offense going.

Josh Wilson, Cornerback

Josh Wilson dropped what looked like a surefire pick-six at a time when the Redskins offense was sputtering and the defense needed a big play. While it is easy to focus on the missed opportunity, you cannot overlook how great Wilson did in coverage against the Seahawks.

The only mention of Mike Williams during the game was on the bogus pass-interference call that led to a Seattle field goal in the third quarter.

With DeAngelo Hall playing the self-blame game, Wilson has gone largely unnoticed this season despite solid efforts in coverage.

He hasn't been the ball hawk he showed himself to be with the Ravens and Seahawks in years past, but he has solidified the second corner spot, where Carlos Rogers would find himself beaten regularly.

Sav Rocca, Punter

After the quick start on offense, it was looking like Sav Rocca was going to earn himself another unofficial MVP award for his tremendous work on punts against some dangerous return men.

Seahawks returner Leon Washington, who had been averaging 12 yards per punt return, was limited to one yard on two returns.

Keeping the ball out of Washington's hands in the return game helped the Redskins keep the game in hand.

Rocca has been a breath of fresh air this season, following countless seasons of hapless punters and as much of a revolving door as has plagued the quarterback and kicking positions. He is fourth in the NFL in net yards per punt with 41.2, and third in punts inside the 20-yard line with 21.

Fans and experts rarely identify the punting game as a point of pride, but after years of bad punting, it is hard not to see Rocca as a bright spot.

Anthony Armstrong, Wide Receiver

No one would blame you if you had forgotten Anthony Armstrong was on the Redskins roster this season. He missed a few games while nursing a hamstring injury, and hadn't recorded a single catch in four consecutive games.

Armstrong didn't lead the team in catches against Seattle, but he delivered the biggest play of both the game and the season with his 50-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter.

In recent weeks, it seemed as though Armstrong had fallen out of favor with the coaches, losing playing time to the likes of Donte' Stallworth and David Anderson. He saw one touch last week against the Cowboys on an end-around that went for five yards on the opening drive.

While fighting through pass interference, Armstrong put himself in position to make the play, and maintained possession for the touchdown at a point in the game where the Redskins could have easily rolled over and given the game away.

Fred Davis, Tight End

You can criticize Fred Davis for being a bit too lax with the ball after the catch, but he makes plays and that is what matters. Though he disappeared for much for the second and third quarters, Davis made his impact on the opening drive and in a slow offensive third quarter.

In the absence of Chris Cooley, Davis has become the go-to receiver for the Redskins and played a big part in Washington's first opening-drive touchdown in 15 games.

Davis started the game with a very unnecessary unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that nullified 15 of the 20 yards gained on the play. He redeemed himself with two more catches on the drive, including the first touchdown of the game.

Though Davis didn't record another catch until the third quarter, it is more a credit to the play calling and pass distribution than a simple disappearance from the game.

Perry Riley, Linebacker

Perry Riley has become the consistent run-stopping inside linebacker that Rocky McIntosh failed to be since the Redskins defense switched to the 3-4 scheme.

Though Marshawn Lynch still rumbled for 111 yards through numerous arm-tackling defensive backs, Riley was in on a lot of plays in his third start of the season.

Riley led the Redskins defense in tackles with six solo and eight assists, and has 34 over his past three games.

The Redskins needed an inside linebacker to bring size and a bit of a mean streak to complement the great but undersized London Fletcher. Riley stepped in for McIntosh against the Dolphins and hasn't looked back since.

Against the Seahawks, Riley was solid in an otherwise unimpressive day of tackling for the Redskins defense.

Rex Grossman, Quarterback

Rex Grossman started the game with a nearly perfect opening drive that ended in the Redskins' first opening drive touchdown in 15 games. He suffered through a serious offensive lull and turned the ball over twice before showing his mettle in the fourth quarter.

Grossman is a turnover liability week in and week out, but he has come up big in the last two weeks and should be 2-0 if not for Graham Gano's follies.

Though not without his trademark interceptions and questionable decision making, Grossman came through in the clutch with his 50-yard strike to Anthony Armstrong in the fourth quarter. '

He made some throws he probably shouldn't have tried, but the Seahawks defense didn't make him pay as much as they could have.

It is hardly comforting to know that Grossman has thrown an interception in all of his last seven starts, but he's moving the offense and producing touchdowns, which makes him the best and only option for the Redskins right now.

Player of the Game: Roy Helu, Running Back

Washington's coaches need to make up their mind about how much and in what capacity they intend to use Roy Helu. Week to wee,k it seems like he falls out of favor with the offensive staff.

Before facing Seattle, Helu had just three games where he saw at least 10 touches, and he averaged 98.6 yards in those contests.

Against Seattle, Helu caught seven passes for 54 yards, and carried the ball 23 times for 108 yards (4.7 yards per carry) and a touchdown.

The commentators for the game mused about Mike Shanahan's ability to find late-round gems in running backs, and Helu was their point of proof.

The Seahawks defense had allowed just one 100-yard rusher in their first 10 games before Helu's 108-yard performance, which speaks to Helu's ability and the shocking effort to establish the ground game by Kyle Shanahan and Co. 

Helu put wind back in Washington's proverbial sails with his 28-yard touchdown run, which featured a leap over a would-be tackler and a burst to the end zone to put the Redskins back in the game.