Defensive end Pernell McPhee feels refreshed.
Now he's just looking for more playing time.
McPhee saw 13 plays (20 percent of all defensive snaps) in his first game back from thigh and lingering knee injuries that kept him out of five games.
He recorded one tackle Sunday night against the Steelers.
"I felt pretty good," McPhee said. "[The time off] was real nice. I got a chance to recover, get myself right, get my legs under me and get a fresh motor.
"I'm happy to be back and want to work into the rotation."
Part of the reason McPhee didn't see more time could be because the Steelers did a good job of keeping Baltimore's pass rushers off the field with their offensive personnel groups. The Steelers were constantly a threat to run the ball.
Starting defensive end Art Jones, who works in a rotation with McPhee, saw 56 percent of the snaps and was among the defensive line's top performers against Pittsburgh, notching four tackles, one sack and a team-high three quarterback hits. Jones has three sacks in his past two games.
Rookie seventh-round pick DeAngelo Tyson was still also active despite McPhee's return, and the rookie saw just one fewer snap than McPhee.
Sitting on the sideline was something new for McPhee. He played in all 16 games as a rookie last year and notched six sacks. He has a half-sack this season.
"Seeing those boys out there scrapping every Sunday and even in practice, it was tough," McPhee said. "I'm just blessed to be back out there. It's another opportunity to be out there and go to war with my boys."
The Washington Redskins have allowed 26 sacks this season, the 16th-most in the NFL. They didn't surrender a single sack on Monday Night Football against the usually gifted pass-rushing New York Giants.
McPhee hasn't notched a full sack for exactly one year (he had two against Cleveland on Dec. 4, 2011).
