Redskins’ Trent Williams faces tough test against Colts’ Dwight Freeney

Trent Williams, rookie left tackle for the Washington Redskins, has already faced three elite pass rushers — Houston’s Mario Williams, Dallas’ DeMarcus Ware and Green Bay’s Clay Matthews.

But Williams sees Sunday night’s assignment — keeping Indianapolis whirling dervish Dwight Freeney at bay — as the most daunting test yet.

“I don’t know if anybody in the world can prepare you for Freeney,” Williams told reporters last week. “He’s just a different type of guy. He brings a load of different moves. You got to study him and even that, you’re still not really safe. He brings everything. It’s going to be a challenge.”

Forget playing it cool. Maybe it’s just the rookie in Williams, but he’s anything but nonchalant when discussing the five-time Pro Bowl defensive end.

“It’s nerve-racking,” Williams said. “You definitely think about it before you go to sleep at night. He’s that dominant of a player.”

Williams sat out the St. Louis and Philadelphia games because of injuries to his toe and knee. He returned last Sunday against the Packers and appeared to reinjure his left knee during an interception return by Green Bay’s Tramon Williams.

Although the injury “looked nasty,” in the words of the Redskins tackle, an MRI proved negative and Williams was just very sore the next few days.

The Redskins’ chances for success Sunday night go up dramatically if he — and hobbled right tackle Jammal Brown — can give Donovan McNabb the time he needs to run the offense.

Although Indianapolis has always gotten more attention with its offense — for the last decade with Peyton Manning at the helm, at least — the Colts defense is capable of putting together an impressive performance. Last week against undefeated Kansas City, for instance, the Colts limited the Chiefs to three field goals and 261 yards.

“We came out and played the way we were supposed to play,” Freeney said.

Safe to say Williams noticed.