Ryan Kerrigan sacks Cowboys quarterback Kellen Moore, continuing a late-season hot streak that began when he stopped trying to be fancy with his pass rush and reverted to what he does best. (Michael Ainsworth/Associated Press)

Chris Baker fought off the blocker trying to hold him at bay, raced to his left, barreled toward Dallas Cowboys quarterback Kellen Moore and flung him to the ground with a bear hug.

Then the 6-foot-2, 325-pound Washington Redskins defensive lineman jumped up and smacked his hands together, motioning as if counting a stack of cash. With that sack — his sixth of the season — early in the third quarter, Baker added to his career high. But more importantly to the Hampton University product, he also reached a bonus-triggering benchmark in his contract.

“Six-sack bonus, $280,000,” Baker said with a smile of relief after Washington’s 34-23 win over Dallas. “All I could say was, ‘Thank you, Lord. I got my bonus!’ I’m happy the guys were covering well and gave me a coverage sack. It’s a great feeling.”

The play, which came two quarters after Baker recovered a fumble, and then the victory — Washington’s fourth straight, fifth in the past six games and seventh in the past 10 — helped Baker kick off what will represent a memorable week.

“My daughter is coming this week. She’s supposed to be born on Thursday,” Baker, 28, said with a grin. “I got my sack bonus today. Now we’re going into the playoffs on a high note, so today was a great day.”

The Washington Post's Gene Wang and Scott Allen discuss the Redskins' Week 17 win over the Dallas Cowboys. (Thomas Johnson/The Washington Post)

The whole past year, in truth, has been great for Baker.

He got married in the spring and the same week enjoyed a reunion with his best friend from high school, nose tackle Terrance Knighton, whom Washington signed in free agency. Then, late in the summer, Baker entered training camp as a backup, wrested the starting right defensive end job away from free agent addition Stephen Paea and went on to establish himself as Washington’s most dominant defensive lineman.

Baker’s six sacks nearly equal the total from Washington’s six other defensive linemen: Jason Hatcher (two), Ricky Jean Francois (two), Paea (1 1/ 2 ), Knighton (1 1/ 2 ), Frank Kearse (one) and Kedric Golston (zero).

Not bad for a guy whom team officials envisioned as a backup when they committed $30 million to Paea and Jean Francois in free agency.

But Baker, who started 12 of 15 games in 2014, remained unfazed by the offseason moves.

“Even from the time they signed Paea, they signed Ricky, they signed Terrance, I never looked at myself as a backup,” Baker said. “I [recruited] Terrance here so I could be able to start with him and play at the same time with him. Even though they brought in Paea in front of me, I never looked at myself as a backup. I just treated everything as a starter and just knew I only had to prove myself. Each week, I just took advantage of every opportunity I got, and so I left the coaches with no choice but to put me in there because I was producing. I just thank God that’s what I was able to do.”

Baker’s work ethic paid off, and he also benefited from a change in defensive philosophies instituted by new coordinator Joe Barry. The previous five years, led instead by Jim Haslett, linemen were instructed to take on blockers to free up linebackers to rush the quarterback. Barry, however, wants his defensive linemen in attack mode. Baker embraced the new role and used his strength and athleticism this season to power his way through blocks and pursue the passer.

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“I always told people that I don’t think I got so much better this year,” Baker explained. “I’m just in a defense where they trust me to make plays. . . . So I thank the coaches for how they used me this year.”

Baker’s sack of Moore was one of four for the Redskins on Sunday; Kearse and linebackers Ryan Kerrigan and Preston Smith recorded one apiece. Kerrigan’s sack continued a second-half surge: He recorded six in the last seven games after posting 3 1/ 2 in the first nine.

Kerrigan, who signed a five-year, $57 million contract extension on the eve of training camp, endured a frustrating start to the season. He missed all of the preseason while rehabbing from arthroscopic knee surgery, then failed to make the impact he expected early in the year.

After so much time away from the game, Kerrigan had some rust to knock off at the beginning of the season. But he also realized that he was unwittingly sabotaging himself while trying to increase his sack total. During the bye week, after studying his games, Kerrigan decided to alter his approach.

“I was trying to do too much at the start of the season, trying to do all these sweet pass-rush moves,” Kerrigan said Sunday. “But I’m at my best when I play my style: I come off the ball decisively. I come off the ball low and hard and take the fight to the offensive tackles. I just decided, ‘This is what I’ve got to do.’ ”

During Washington’s late-season run, Kerrigan tallied five sacks, bringing his total to a team-best 9 1/ 2 — the second highest of his career.

“It’s been fun that I’ve gotten better as the team has gotten better,” Kerrigan said. “When you have a productive day and the team also wins, it’s meant a lot to me. Now I’ve got to do even more because we’re now in the postseason.”