But under offensive line coach Bill Callahan, the retooled unit had laid a strong foundation all season and headed into Sunday’s regular-season finale at AT&T Stadium with 26 sacks against them. That meant surrendering no more than three sacks to a Dallas defensive front that includes pass-rushing specialists Greg Hardy and Randy Gregory.

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They ended up allowing to just one — with cornerback Terrance Mitchell swooping in to drop Colt McCoy for a 14-yard loss on his first series in relief of Kirk Cousins, who bowed out after setting the Redskins’ single-season passing record midway through the second quarter.

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It represented a remarkable achievement — going from 58 sacks last season to 27 this. And it’s even more striking given the youth of the group, which has started a rookie right guard in Brandon Scherff and first-year starter in right tackle Morgan Moses all season. With veteran left guard Shawn Lauvao and center Kory Lichtensteiger forced out by season-ending injuries, Callahan added two more first-year starters to the mix in Spencer Long and Josh LeRibeus.

And with Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams inactive for Sunday’s game, Ty Nsekhe, who’d started just one NFL game, completed the lineup.

“It says a lot about Coach Callahan, about the effort they’re putting in pre-practice, post-practice and in the film room, and the pride they take in executing,” Cousins said of the protection afforded by the young offensive line.

Moses broadened the circle of those deserving credit to include Cousins and the entire starting offense.

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“Honestly, it’s just about all 11 players being on the same page,” Moses said in the locker room after the 34-23 victory. “When you’ve got your receivers out there telling you that the cornerback is blitzing, and the quarterbacks is getting guys in the right protections when he see the blitz, and the running back is picking up the extra defender—when you’ve got everybody on the same page, it just works miracles, man. When you’ve got all 11 playing the same way, the offense moves.”

Though just 24, Moses said he has come to view the line’s youth as an advantage of sorts.

“With the injuries we had earlier in the season, losing Shawn and losing Kory, we’re probably one of the youngest offensive lines,” Moses said. “So we grew. We had a chance to all grow together. With Kirk being in his first year starting, and a lot of the guys up front being their first year starting — me, Brandon, Spencer, Josh — so we just kind of collectively been on the same page. That’s what turned this thing around.”

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