*The Redskins lost cornerback Josh Norman to a fractured rib before halftime in their loss to the Chiefs, one of several injuries the secondary managed through Monday night. *

On a night that saw the majority of the Redskins' secondary needing medical attention on the sideline, the team was dealt a tough blow when it was announced that cornerback Josh Norman had sustained a rib fracture following their 29-20 loss to the Chiefs.

For Norman, who exited the field after the two-minute warning in the second quarter when he was injured tackling Kansas City wide receiver Chris Conley on a 21-yard pass play, the timetable for his return to the field is undetermined. Norman didn't return to the game after getting X-Rays in the locker room before halftime.

"You know going in for the ball, getting the tackle and, I don't know, landed awkwardly falling on the heel, the heel of his shoe," said Norman, who had pain as he breathed.  "It got me on the side. I came in and got X-rays and saw one of my ribs had something done to it. I wanted to come back out, but the team specialist thought it was best if I stay out…it's a long season, but we just want to be cautious and be aware and do their job and not have me go out there and do anything more on the issue."

Cornerback Quinton Dunbar took over Norman's responsibilities for the rest of the game, logging four tackles and playing good coverage in his absence. He, too, left for a brief period with some cramping, bringing out rookie Fabian Moreau in his place, but returned to finish out the game.

"I mean, it definitely was tough," Dunbar said. "We got two heavyweight teams going at it, battling back and forth, bodies getting fatigued. That happens, that's part of the game."

For Norman and the Redskins, the bye week comes at a helpful time, giving a handful of players an opportunity to rest and recover after a gritty performance in which nearly the entire depth chart was used to fill voids left by injuries throughout the game.

"It came at a good time, a time in which we needed it," Norman said of the bye. "A lot of us are banged up right now. We're going to go back and lick our wounds, come back out here in a week and try to get a 'W.' We came out here for it, so it's just very disappointing that I wasn't able to be there with my teammates when they needed me the most. Like I said, I'm pretty upset right now. Human, mortal body, and you try to go out there and think you're more than that and sometimes it sits you down and realize, makes you see that we're still here on earth. When we're out there we try to be more than that."

Norman, the ultimate competitor that he is, struggled to watch from the sidelines as the defense relied on backups, especially considering five different defensive backs left the game at various points at Arrowhead Stadium.

Among the other notable injuries included safety Montae Nicholson, who was diagnosed with an AC Joint sprain. Cornerback Kendall Fuller also had to leave the game briefly in the fourth quarter after getting kicked unintentionally near his forehead, which took his helmet off in the process.

The mixing and matching managed to keep the Chiefs at bay for most of the second half even as they ate up plenty of clock on some long drives that helped to exhaust the defense. Norman, like most of his teammates, couldn't help but watch the tense ending to the game without being able to control the outcome. The Redskins will hope that isn't the case for too long.

"Like I said, I was in here watching. It sucks, man," Norman said. "You want to do something. You want to do something more, and it's just a mortal body, it just doesn't give you what you need. It doesn't sustain you and going out there and helping those guys. You try to fight through, you try to numb the pain by blocking it out. I wanted to go so bad, just release me, man. I can't really do anything about that. The higher up, you've just got to take in what they say. It's a long season. It's a long season, but for me, when my juices get amped up and I get going, I want to go regardless. Fell a little short in doing that today."