Hot Betts rushing toward pay raise

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With each game, Ladell Betts proves he might be worth a pay raise in the offseason.

The Washington Redskins running back rushed for 155 yards on 28 attempts, both career highs, in yesterday's 24-14 loss to the Atlanta Falcons at FedEx Field. The performance marked the first time in Betts' five-year career he has rushed for 100 or more yards in consecutive games.

Betts, filling in for injured starter Clinton Portis, suffered a rough debut as the club's top running back, gaining only 18 yards on seven carries against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Nov. 19. However, he rushed for 104 yards on 24 carries in the Redskins' upset of the Carolina Panthers last week.

"The hard work is starting to pay off for the most part," Betts said. "Being the No. 1 guy, you have to get out there and run well on a regular basis because people are now counting on you more."

The Redskins have re-established their running game the past two weeks. They ranked fourth in the league (143.3 yards a game) after the first four games this season. But poor performances against the New York Giants and the Bucs dropped them to 12th (122.6) entering last week's contest. But the Redskins totaled 143 yards on the ground against the Panthers and 177 yesterday.

Betts rushed nine times for 56 yards on the Redskins' first two possessions, both of which resulted in touchdowns. He scored on an 8-yard run on the Redskins' first series of the first quarter, and wideout Santana Moss caught a 42-yard pass from quarterback Jason Campbell on the next series to give Washington a 14-0 lead.

"We've been able to see him do more, and he's an outstanding runner in that he has patience," associate head coach-offense Al Saunders said. "The more he gets an opportunity to do things, the better he'll get."

Moss back in form

Six weeks after straining his right hamstring against the Indianapolis Colts, Santana Moss finally played like the Pro Bowl receiver he was last year, catching a season-high seven passes for 123 yards and a touchdown.

Moss outjumped defenders DeAngelo Hall and Chris Crocker to make a reception at the Atlanta 2, tumbling untouched into the end zone for a touchdown that put the Redskins on top 14-0 with 2:43 left in the first quarter.