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Offensive Line Bands Together

LANDOVER, MD -- An offensive line searching for continuity, any continuity, lost left tackle King Dunlap three days before the NFC East showdown game at Washington and shrugged it off as a minor speed bump in a 20-13 win on Sunday.

Dunlap's injury forced the Eagles to go to Plan C at left tackle. Dunlap, who suffered back spasms at the end of Wednesday's practice and then didn't get on the field the rest of the week, was inactive for Sunday's game. He was in there because Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters has missed two games with a hamstring injury.

So what did the Eagles do? They moved right tackle Todd Herremans to left tackle and inserted Winston Justice into the lineup at right tackle. Justice, the starter there the last couple of seasons, had knee surgery after the 2010 campaign and admittedly isn't all the way back physically.

But the Eagles compensated against a very good Washington front seven. Quarterback Michael Vick tore Washington apart in the first half with three-step drops and quick throws and the Eagles neutralized the pass-rushing duo of Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan, a pair of outside linebackers in Washington's 3-4 scheme that combined for 5 1/2 sacks for the Redskins in four games prior to Sunday.

Against the Eagles, Orakpo and Kerrigan combined for 10 total tackles and only two quarterback hurries, both by Kerrigan, the first-round draft pick.

It was a job well done by a much-questioned Eagles offensive line.

"We worked really hard all week on communication and doing what the coaches tell us to do," said Justice. "It paid off. I think we played pretty well as a group."

The Eagles should get Peters back after the bye week, and Justice continues to rehab and close in on a full recovery. The Eagles are already starting a pair of rookies, center Jason Kelce and right guard Danny Watkins.

At the very least, all of the players getting reps will pay off late in the season when depth is needed.

"It's getting there," said Watkins, who made his second NFL start. "We're preparing the right way. It felt good being on the field at the end, running down the clock. That was a good position to be in."

Justice said the time he and Watkins spent early in the year side by side on the scout team paid off. All of those reps helped Justice, in his first full game since his struggles against Green Bay in last January's playoff loss, gain his conditioning effectively enough to where he was able to play at a high level for 60 minutes on a warm fall afternoon.

"I felt pretty good out there," said Justice. "I'm just glad for the team. We're all pitching in here. We have put ourselves in a hole that we need to dig out of. We needed this game."

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