--G/T Chad Rinehart has solidified his roster spot by performing well at both positions, although he was beaten for a sack in the Jets game.

--Rookies Chris Horton and Kareem Moore have taken advantage of the extra reps caused by the lingering hamstring injury of starting FS LaRon Landry. Moore started against the Jets and Horton tied linebacker Alfred Fincher with a team-high six tackles.

--On Aug. 16 at the Jets, rookie P Durant Brooks received his second full game in his competition with incumbent Derrick Frost and had another solid outing, averaging 43 yards gross, 33.8 net, with punts of 51, 55 and 59 yards.

--RB Marcus Mason, a practice squad member in 2007, continued to receive the bulk of the carries in preseason with Rock Cartwright having missed two games with injured ribs, Ladell Betts one with an ailing thigh and Clinton Portis simply rested in two games. Mason ran for 55 yards on nine carries against the Jets, giving him 233 yards on 43 carries this preseason.

BATTLE OF THE WEEK: Veteran tackle Todd Wade might want to hurry back from the high ankle sprain he suffered on Aug. 3 against Indianapolis because the second-team offensive line played pretty well six days later against the Bills without him and young backup tackle Stephon Heyer (knee). The unit consisted of third-round pick Chad Rinehart at left tackle, former San Francisco 49ers practice squad member Tavares Washington at left guard, Justin Geisinger (whose resume includes two games with the Tennessee Titans) at center, veteran Jason Fabini at right guard and rookie free agent right tackle Devin Clark. That group helped the Redskins drive 65 yards for a touchdown to make it 14-3 on their first series. And then with rookie free agent Andrew Crummey having replaced Fabini -- they played keep-away, eating all but 23 seconds of the final 10:07 to preserve the 17-14 victory. The second unit produced 15 first downs and 240 yards on 47 snaps. "They were great," coach Jim Zorn said. "I thought they took a lot of pride in that last drive of really coming to the ball and establishing an opportunity for (running back Marcus Mason) to find a seam and sustain a long drive." The line wasn't as effective on Aug, 16 against the Jets, but they handled the Jets' all-out blitz on Colt Brennan's game-winning 33-yard touchdown pass to tight end Jason Goode with 1:09 remaining. "They brought everyone that they could bring and (they didn't cover) the tight end," Zorn said. "It was a hot situation and Colt maintained his poise. I'm sure they didn't want to leave the tight end completely uncovered, so we were fortunate. They were coming to sack (Colt) and end the game there." With Heyer, Fabini and Rinehart near-locks, Geisinger could be moving ahead of Wade -- who can only play tackle -- since he's a career guard who's mastering center, a spot where the only backup to starter Casey Rabach is No. 1 left guard Pete Kendall. So rather than mess with two spots if Rabach is injured, the Redskins could keep Geisinger. That would leave Wade in a very precarious position with Zorn wanting to keep plenty of skill-position players and defensive coordinator Greg Blache and special-teams coach Danny Smith pressing for maximum numbers, too. Wade doesn't play special teams. "You've always got to look at it like this game is a big job interview," Clark said. "All of us are trying to do the same thing and that is make this team."

OTHER BATTLE FRONTS: Former Eagles and Vikings receiver Billy McMullen led the Redskins with 10 catches and 142 yards in the first three preseason games. Maurice Mann, cut by Cincinnati, Miami, Seattle, Minnesota and Cleveland while getting into just one game the previous four years, had a 20-yard touchdown grab against Indianapolis and had a team-high four catches against the Jets. Both have flashed in practice, but with veterans Santana Moss, Antwaan Randle El and James Thrash locks to make the team along with second-round picks Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly, that might not leave one job open ... Leigh Torrence, who finished 2007 as the No. 3 cornerback, was beaten for a touchdown by Buffalo's James Hardy, but he continues to hold off rookies Justin Tryon and Matteral Richardson, 2007 practice squad member Byron Westbrook and journeyman Cedrick Holt for the fourth corner spot behind veterans Shawn Springs, Fred Smoot and Carlos Rogers ... Although Jim Zorn had Derek Devine, who had been in Seattle's camp with the coach last summer, play ahead of him, rookie Colt Brennan all but wrapped up the No. 3 quarterback job behind veterans Jason Campbell and Todd Collins. While Devine (2-for-4, 22 yards) was intercepted in the end zone after being pressed into action when Collins was shaken up late in the first half, Brennan had a second strong game in three. The former Hawaii star was 4-for-5 for 79 yards and the game-winning touchdown throw to Jason Goode despite being sacked twice. Brennan's passer rating was a sterling 158.3. "I want to see what Colt can do at the end of the game with clock management or a 2-minute situation if we find ourselves behind," Zorn said had said before the game. "They had been blitzing a lot, and the play before that they got us on a blitz, so I was anticipating blitz and they blitzed again," Brennan said on his 25th birthday about the pass that made Brett Favre a loser in his Jets debut. "When they blitz, either they win or we win, and on that one, we won."

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Marcus Mason fumbled the opening kickoff on Aug. 9 against Buffalo, but he didn't fumble away his chance of sticking around for a second straight season, whether as a No. 4 running back or for another tour of duty on the practice squad. "Fortunately, it didn't cost us but a field goal," Zorn said. "To Marcus' credit, he stayed in the game mentally, secured the ball the rest of the game and really made no (more) physical errors. He's right in the mix. There's no question that he has created a very difficult situation. He's doing what every player is supposed to do, make it so hard for us to cut them." Through three games, Mason had 43 of Washington's 84 carries for 233 yards (a 5.4-yard average). He also had four catches for 22 yards and a touchdown. "I'm giving it my all right now," Mason said. "I was nervous last preseason (as a rookie free agent). I was a little star-struck. I went into this year confident, and now I'm just going out and having fun, and the offensive line is doing its job, too."

ROOKIE REPORT: Second-round WR Devin Thomas returned to practice on Aug. 12 after missing 18 days. He made his NFL debut on Aug. 16 at the New York Jets, returning two kickoffs for 46 yards but not catching a pass ... Second-round TE Fred Davis had the catch of the day on Aug. 14 but remains third-string behind veterans Chris Cooley and Todd Yoder. Davis has six catches for 45 yards in preseason ... Second-round WR Malcolm Kelly has yet to take part in team drills as he recovers from an Aug. 4 knee scope, but he began doing some individual work last week ... Third-round OL Chad Rinehart played extensively at LT against the Bills on Aug. 9 and the Jets because Chris Samuels' usual backup, Stephon Heyer, is out with a knee injury. Rinehart was beaten for a sack in the latter game ... Fourth-round CB J.T. Tryon has been solid in practice but has struggled in games ... Sixth-round P Durant Brooks boomed punts 51, 55 and 59 yards against the Jets in averaging 43 yards gross and 33.8 net ... After a superb debut against the Colts, sixth-round QB Colt Brennan wasn't nearly as good against the Bills, but was outstanding again against the Jets, fighting off a sack and then beating another blitz to hit rookie free agent tight end Jason Goode for the winning touchdown with 1:09 to play ... Sixth-round S Kareem Moore started against the Jets with LaRon Landry still sidelined with a pulled hamstring. Moore had three tackles ... Seventh-round DE Rob Jackson still faces an uphill battle to win a spot since Washington has Jason Taylor, Andre Carter, Demetric Evans, Erasmus James and Chris Wilson at the position, but against the Jets he recorded a second sack in three preseason games ... Seventh-round S Chris Horton returned last week after missing the previous week with a colon infection and tied LB Alfred Fincher with a team-high six tackles.

INJURY REPORT: RB Ladell Betts left the Jets game with a mildly sprained right knee. ... RG Randy Thomas left the Jets game with a strained right knee. ... LB Rian Wallace left the Jets game with a left shoulder injury and was placed on waived/injured. ... WR Antwaan Randle El didn't play on Aug. 16 against the Jets because of a sore hamstring that kept him out of the final three practices prior to the game. ... WR Anthony Mix missed a week after injuring his ribs on Aug. 9 against the Bills. ... FS LaRon Landry pulled a hamstring on July 24 and has yet to return. ... OT Todd Wade suffered a high right ankle sprain on Aug. 3 against the Colts and has yet to return. ... OT Stephon Heyer sprained a knee on Aug. 3 against the Colts but should return this week. ... WR Malcolm Kelly had his left knee scoped on Aug. 4 and could return this week. ... LB H.B. Blades had a knee scoped on July 28. He returned to drills on Aug. 14 but didn't face the Jets. ... DE Erasmus James, recovering from major knee surgery in December, practiced for the first time as a Redskin on Aug. 11 but didn't play against the Jets.