The Redskins' defensive scheme also deserves credit for the early-season success. Under coordinator Greg Manusky, the Redskins have leaned heavily on zone coverage to combat passing attacks, but hasn’t tied itself exclusively to any one family of coverages. They run some variant of Cover-3 on 33 percent of their coverage snaps and some kind of single-high safety look 64 percent of the time.

What best characterizes this defense is multiplicity in its looks and coverages. Rather than confining themselves to one coverage shell or family of looks, the Redskins will run multiple coverages, multiple looks, and mix things up between man-to-man and zone. This balance of scheme and tactics has been part of what has allowed the unit to flourish because it means opposing offenses aren’t able to key on any one thing.

The one area where the team doesn’t change things up is with the alignment of its coverage personnel. While some defenses like to lean on their best cover corner to shadow opposing receivers and dictate the one-on-one matchup, Washington instead keeps each of its cornerbacks on one side of the field.

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Quinton Dunbar drew the majority of the coverage against Davante Adams, the No. 1 receiver for the Green Bay Packers, during Washington’s Week 3 win. Adams was targeted four times while being covered by Dunbar and caught all four passes for 40 yards and a touchdown. That was simply a product of play design, as Adams lined up on Dunbar’s side of the field just four snaps more than he did on the opposite side.

Overall this season, Dunbar has yet to line up anywhere other than right cornerback, appearing there on all 149 of his snaps. Josh Norman has lined up at left cornerback for all but eight snaps, and those were on plays in which the offense presented just one wide receiver. While those two players have been the perimeter corners, Fabian Moreau has been the team’s slot cornerback, with 135 of his 138 snaps coming when lined up inside.

Opposing teams at least know where Washington’s corners will line up, but that familiarity also plays in the Redskins' favor, with defensive backs able to get comfortable with a specific job rather than needing to bounce around the formation as the receiver they’re following shifts his alignment throughout the game.

While he hasn’t been tasked with tracking opposing receivers, Dunbar has been solid in coverage this season, earning a higher PFF grade than Norman through three weeks. He ranks tied for seventh among all cornerbacks with a 78.4 grade, which is considerably higher than those of Norman (63.1) and Moreau (64.1). Dunbar has one interception along with three pass breakups.

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NFL Network’s Charley Casserly claimed on NBC Sports radio Monday that Norman was now the team’s third-best corner — behind Dunbar and Moreau.

While it’s fair to read Norman’s early-season production as a step back from the level of play that led him to signing a big-money deal with Washington, reports of his demise may be somewhat exaggerated.

Norman has always been a bit inconsistent, and even in his outstanding 2015 season, he surrendered three touchdowns. But this season he has given up just 88 receiving yards across three games while playing entirely on the outside, which is still a more difficult assignment than what Moreau is asked to do from the slot.

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Even setting aside the possibility that Norman returns to his typically higher level of play, the fact that Washington is fielding three starting corners who are playing at a solid level is promising, particularly because they are backed up by a safety in D.J. Swearinger who is off to a strong start. His 89.9 grade ranks fifth in the NFL this season, and while fellow starter Montae Nicholson hasn’t had a great start to the year, his range allows him to do things other safeties can’t.

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Overall, Washington’s secondary has been a strength through three games, including one against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers (albeit a Rodgers somewhat less than 100 percent). That’s a big reason for optimism as the Redskins exit their bye week and enter a pair of games against Drew Brees and Cam Newton.