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LANDOVER, Md. (AP) -- For the Washington Redskins, three straight wins mean they can say, "We told you so."

Arrington sprains ankle

LANDOVER, Md. -- Redskins linebacker LaVar Arrington, the emerging defensive leader of a team that has won three straight, suffered a severe ankle sprain against Seattle and could miss several weeks. Arrington was hurt on the first play from scrimmage of the second half on a hit from behind. "I have never felt a pain like I felt on that field," Arrington said. "It was such a sharp pain. I just laid there, like 'It's broke.' It was a bonus that they said it was just a sprain." Arrington's fourth-quarter interception against Carolina three weeks ago has been the turning point of the season. His inspirational play continued Sunday when he had a key fumble recovery as the Seahawks were driving late in the first half. Arrington's injury is similar to one to tight end Stephen Alexander, who has missed three games. The Redskins have a bye next weekend, giving Arrington an extra week to recover, but he refused to guarantee when he'll be back. "When I can, I will," Arrington said. "When I will, I will do. When I will do, I will do what I will do."

Derided as the worst team in football after an 0-5 start, the Redskins won their third straight Sunday with a 27-14 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. Each win has been more impressive than the last, and this one was sheer dominance.

"I've been trying to tell you, it's going to happen," said linebacker LaVar Arrington, who had a key fumble recovery late in the first half before leaving with a sprained ankle. "I didn't know when it was going to happen, but I knew at some point it was going to happen; the turnaround was going to take place.

"We've got a healthy chip on our shoulders. We've been ridiculed, we've been scrutinized, and we're not forgetting that. We're going to ride this all the way out. We're going to ride with a chip on our shoulder all the way out."

Stephen Davis ran 32 times for 142 yards and scored the Redskins (3-5) first touchdown on the ground this season against one of the best rushing defenses in the league. The defense chased quarterback Matt Hasselbeck after a half, augmenting the stewing quarterback controversy in Seattle (3-4).

"We weren't ready to play," coach Mike Holmgren said. "That starts with me. Our emotions weren't what they have been. ... You have stinkers. Our offense, in particular, is going through some growing pains."

Hasselbeck was 6-for-12 for 127 yards with two interceptions, one fumble and an intentional grounding. He was pulled with Seattle trailing 20-7 in favor of Trent Dilfer, who is 2-0 as a starter with the Seahawks and 13-0 over the last 12 months.

One of the interceptions wasn't Hasselbeck's fault -- Darrell Jackson bobbled the ball right into David Terrell's lap. But Hasselbeck often was pressured and had few chances because of the Redskins' 2-to-1 advantage in first-half time of possession.

Holmgren said he'll decide Tuesday who starts next week, but Hasselbeck's version of the coach's halftime speech made the situation sound very much in flux.

"He came in and told me: `You're not doing things my way. You're still trying to do things your way. Until you're ready to do things my way, you're not going to play,' I know exactly what he was talking about," Hasselbeck said.

		Can the Redskins get back in the playoff hunt in the weak NFC East? To do so, Washington must win within the division. The Redskins have won on the road the past three weeks, but now they'll go on the road for two weeks (after their bye next week). If they can win games on the road and in the division, they've got an opportunity to get back into the NFC East race. But these upcoming road games are tough: Denver (Nov. 18) and Philadelphia (Nov. 25). So we'll discover whether Washington is for real as November progresses. ESPN.com's Vinny Cerrato was director of player personnel for the Redskins and 49ers.

Washington's Tony Banks completed 15 of 23 passes for 152 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He has six touchdowns and two interceptions in his last four games.

The Redskins' longest touchdown drive of the season had lasted just 2 minutes, 44 seconds. But, on Sunday, they controlled the defensive line of the Seahawks for TD drives of 4:34, 7:50 and 5:33. Davis became the first back to rush for more than 52 yards against the Seahawks, who were ranked fifth against the run.

"Our players understand what they're trying to do far better than a month ago," said Washington coach Marty Schottenheimer, whose job no longer appears in imminent jeopardy. "We like to run the ball. If you can run the ball in this league, you've got a good chance of winning."

The only downside was Arrington's injury, a severe ankle sprain that will probably keep the team's emerging leader out for several weeks. Washington has a bye next weekend.

The Redskins had not scored a touchdown on the ground since cornerback Champ Bailey joined the offense for a few plays and ran 7 yards for a score in last year's finale. The drought ended when Davis carried the last eight plays for 44 yards of a 69-yard drive. He barely cracked the goal line on a third-and-1 with 5:29 to play in the first half.

The Redskins took the opening drive 71 yards and scored on Walter Rasby's 7-yard catch. The Seahawks responded with an 80-yard drive, capped by Shaun Alexander's 37-yard run.

Interceptions by Bailey and Terrell set up two field goals from Brett Conway, and Davis' TD run made it 20-7. The Redskins then went 69 yards on the first drive of the second half, with Banks hitting Michael Westbrook for a 13-yard TD.

Dilfer's entrance created an anticlimactic Banks-Dilfer duel featuring the quarterbacks of last year's Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens. Dilfer threw a 46-yard touchdown pass to Jackson in the third quarter to make the score 27-14. He drove the Seahawks to the Redskins' 32 on the next possession, but threw incomplete on fourth down under pressure from Kevin Mitchell.

Game notes
Seattle tackle John Randle sprained his left knee. ... Davis (4,204) moved past Terry Allen (4,086) into third place on the Redskins' career rushing list.