Redskins center Casey Rabach underwent minor surgery on his broken hand on Monday and his status for playing in next Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints is uncertain.
Rabach had three pins put in the bone of his left hand, head coach Joe Gibbs said. The procedure helps stabilize the hand and it could help him play against the Saints.
Rabach is right-handed, so the injury would not impact the hand that he uses to snap the ball to Jason Campbell.
"Now is he going to be able to play this weekend? That's what we want to kind of know," Gibbs said. "It'll be interesting to see how sore it is and what he thinks."
Rabach's injury occurred in the fourth quarter and he immediately went into the locker room for X-rays. He was replaced in the lineup by Mike Pucillo, the fourth-year veteran lineman who is in his first year as a Redskin.
If Rabach can't play, Pucillo would likely draw the starting assignment, his first of the season.
The Redskins are also increasingly concerned about right tackle Jon Jansen, who has been playing the last month with a calf injury. Jansen has been listed as probable on the team's injury report each of the last three weeks.
Gibbs downplayed the fact that the Redskins' next two games are on artificial turf, which could aggravate Jansen's calf more.
"It's not next game or anything," Gibbs said. "I just think the fact that it's gotten worse each week has really bothered us."
Veteran offensive lineman Todd Wade is listed as the backup to Jansen on the Redskins' depth chart. It's possible that the team could want to get a look at third-year lineman Jim Molinaro, the former sixth-round draft choice who has seen limited action as a pro.
Also, Jansen said that he has a minor fracture in his thumb.
"It's nothing serious," he said.
Gibbs praised Jansen for playing through the calf injury.
"I think he really and truly has played three of his better games," Gibbs said. "He just refuses to come out of there. We'll just have to see as it goes during the week."
Asked if he would consider resting players with injuries due to the team's record, Gibbs replied sharply: "No. Let me say this: Every one of these three last games will be critical for us. Everybody who can play is going to play. There's no experimenting. We're not taking any approach except that the next game is critically important for us."
-- SAMUELS: BRING 'DOCK' BACK
#### -- AT DEFENSIVE END
When the Redskins acquired Andre Carter last offseason, Phillip Daniels made the switch from right defensive end to the left side. He has not been as effective in the pass rush this season, but that is in part due to a myriad of injuries this season. In recent weeks, he has been plagued by ankle injuries.
On Sunday, Renaldo Wynn started in place of Daniels. It was Wynn's first start of the season. Daniels entered on the third play of the game and played in pass-rushing situations.
"It felt kind of strange [not to start], but I do what they ask me to do," Daniels said. "I know that Renaldo has my back. Even if I don't start, all I want to do is play and help this team win."
As a defense, the Redskins have struggled to generate a consistent pass rush this season. The unit has 15 sacks, fewest in the league.
Daniels has three sacks this season, which is tied with Carter for most on the team. Last year, Daniels led the defense with eight sacks.
-- AT WIDE RECEIVER
Antwaan Randle El started at wide receiver ahead of Brandon Lloyd on Sunday, and Joe Gibbs indicated that whoever starts in future games would depend on the offensive package.
"Sometimes we start with nickel, sometimes we start with regular," Gibbs said. "We made some changes there in who starts in different packages."
Asked if he expected to stay with Santana Moss and Randle El as the team's two starting wide receivers, Gibbs replied: "I wouldn't want to make a commitment to what it's going to remain. I just said that's what we did [on Sunday]."
