Albert Haynesworth was back.
DeAngelo Hall was not.
Haynesworth's presence and Hall's absence was evident in the Redskins' 33-30 overtime loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at FedExField.
Haynesworth returned to the starting lineup after missing the last two games due to a sprained ankle.
The last two games, the Redskins' defense had struggled against the run and posted just two sacks. On Sunday, the Saints has just 55 rushing yards while quarterback Drew Brees was sacked once and pressured multiple times.
Haynesworth logged two tackles and batted away a pass. One of his tackles came on a 4th-and-1 play in which he pushed into the backfield and brought down running back Mike Bell for no gain.
Late in the game, Haynesworth appeared to aggravate his ankle. He was down on the field for several minutes as athletic trainers evaluated him.
"Albert wasn't in at the end," Jim Zorn said. "His ankle was flaring up."
The Redskins opted to go with a strong complement of defensive linemen for the Saints game.
Rob Jackson, signed to the roster from the practice squad last week, was active for the Saints game and logged one tackle. Anthony Montgomery was also active as a reserve defensive tackle.
Meantime, in the secondary, Hall was deactivated for the second game in a row due to a sprained knee.
The defense was also without nickel cornerback Justin Tryon, who was sidelined with a hip injury.
Hall's availability was not a surprise, but it was hoped that Tryon would be available to help defend the Saints' high-powered passing game.
With Hall and Tryon out, Carlos Rogers and Fred Smoot started at cornerback and Byron Westbrook and Kebin Barnes served in nickel and dime packages.
The Redskins' secondary entered the game as the league's No. 1 pass defense, but they yielded 408 passing yards to Drew Brees and company.
Smoot had a strong game, posting five tackles, and Rogers added two tackles.
Westbrook earned his first NFL start when the Redskins opened the game with three cornerbacks.
Westbrook logged two tackles and batted away a third-down pass in the end zone, forcing the Saints to settle for a field goal.
LaRon Landry was active on the field, recording 12 tackles, a sack and three passes defended. But he was among the culprits on a pair 40-yard touchdown pass in the first half and a 53-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.
The Redskins' complete list of inactives was as follows: Hall, running back Clinton Portis, offensive linemen Edwin Williams and Paul Fanaika, linebacker Alvin Bowen, Tryon and defensive end Renaldo Wynn. Richard Bartel served as the third quarterback.
-- SELLERS HAS THIGH INJURY
Mike Sellers was taken to an area hospital for further evaluation of a thigh injury he suffered in the Saints game.
The hospital visit is just a precautionary measure, team officials said.
Antwaan Randle El suffered a shoulder injury after a 44-yard catch on the last play of the third quarter, Cornelius Griffin suffered a knee injury and Kedric Golston had a sprained elbow.
The Redskins will update the status of their injured players later this week.
-- BREES' BIG DAY
Drew Brees' 419 passing yards were the sixth-most ever against the Redskins since the 1970 NFL merger and the most since Boomer Esiason threw for 522 yards as a member of the Arizona Cardinals on Nov. 10, 1996.
With a passer rating of 102.3, Brees became the first opposing quarterback with at least 20 passing attempts to register a passer rating of 100.0 or better against Washington in the last 34 games.
The streak of 33 games marked the longest such streak in the NFL, 19 more than second-best Buffalo, who logged 14.
-- ALL OFFENSE
The Redskins scored 30 points against New Orleans on Sunday, marking the first time they reached that plateau since Dec. 23, 2007 when they defeated the Minnesota Vikings 32-21.
It was also the highest point total of Jim Zorn's two years as head coach. His previous high points total was 29 points, also against the Saints on Dec. 14, 2008.
Jason Campbell threw for a career high 367 yards, surpassing his previous best of 348, which he set at Dallas on Nov. 18, 2007.
-- RABACH: 'NO MORAL VICTORIES'
The Redskins outplayed the undefeated New Orleans Saints most of Saturday afternoon, but still ended up losing.
Players took no consolation in how they competed with the team many regard as the best in the NFL.
"Win or lose is all that matters," Rabach said. "There are no moral victories in the NFL. We lost."
