The Washington Football Team have placed defensive end Montez Sweat on injured reserve with a fractured jaw.

Sweat, a first-round pick in the 2019 draft, played a starring role for Washington's defense last season as they made a return to the playoffs.

He registered nine sacks, helping Washington to an NFC East title and a first postseason berth since the 2015 season.

However, Ron Rivera's team have endured a steep decline on defense and appear destined to miss the playoffs this year, going 2-6 through eight games.

Washington have allowed 5.91 yards per play in 2021, the eighth-most in the NFL, though with four sacks to his name, Sweat has continued to find ways to get to the quarterback.

However, his pressure rate of 16.6 per cent is below the league average of 17.3 per cent for edge rushers, according to Stats Perform data.

Sweat will not have the opportunity to improve on those pressure numbers in the immediate future, with the injury expected to keep him out for four to six weeks.

Week 10 sees Washington welcome the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers to FedEx Field on Sunday in a rematch of last year's Wild Card matchup.