Nursing a sprained knee, left tackle Chris Samuels said on Monday that he will likely miss practice time this week, but added that he expects to be available for Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Samuels, whose status is day-to-day, sprained the knee in the second half of the Redskins' 36-0 loss to the New York Giants. He underwent an MRI on Monday morning and the results were encouraging.

"There is nothing structurally wrong with it, which is good news," head coach Joe Gibbs said. "It's just a matter of when he gets to feeling better with it."

In describing the injury, Samuels said his knee gave out during a play in the third quarter. He tried to continue, but he eventually gave way to veteran Ray Brown.

"It hurt that I couldn't be out there," Samuels said. "If you're going to go down like we did, you want to be out there with your teammates."

Second-year lineman Jim Molinaro is listed as the backup to Samuels, but Molinaro has limited NFL experience. He has been inactive every game this season. Gibbs likes Brown's versatility--the 20-year NFL veteran can play any position along the offensive line--so if Samuels is sidelined, the Redskins have options.

Gibbs said that he was equally concerned about having available bodies for practice this week.

"There'll be guys who will get their opportunity to really help the team--and some of them may be young guys," he said. "Up here, that's how you sometimes make your career and get things started."

Asked about the impact of Samuels missing playing time, running back Clinton Portis replied: "It would hurt us, but you have Ray and you have guys who will need to step up a notch."

-- D-LINE SITUATION

With Cornelius Griffin and Joe Salave'a both nursing injuries, the Redskins' defensive line is in a state of uncertainty right now.

The most serious concern, according to head coach Joe Gibbs, is Griffin, who played only a handful of snaps in Sunday's 36-0 loss to the New York Giants. Griffin has been sidelined with a hip injury.

Meantime, Salave'a was sidelined late in the Giants game due to a lingering foot injury.

"Cornelius was in on only two plays in the game, so that worries you," Gibbs said. "Joe's foot was extremely sore. We'll have a better idea [on their status] on Wednesday and we'll work toward the end of the week."

Salave'a underwent an MRI on Monday, but just as a precautionary measure, Gibbs said.

Phillip Daniels also has a sore ankle, but the injury is not considered serious and he is expected to be ready for Sunday.

The Redskins have limited the number of available linemen on the roster due to keeping two kickers--John Hall and Nick Novak--on the roster. With Hall sufficiently recovered from his quad injury. that could change this week, Gibbs said.

"Up until this point, we've chosen to keep two kickers," he said. "But the pressure is on. We're going to need extra bodies and we're going to have to make a decision there."

-- PORTIS & MOSS

Portis and Santana Moss are the two key playmakers of the Redskins' offense, but on Sunday against the Giants, they had limited opportunities to make an impact.

Moss caught four passes for 34 yards, but his second quarter fumble gave the Giants the ball deep in Washington's territory.

New York rolled coverage to Moss during the game. Moss said on Monday he wanted to study film of the Giants' coverage because he fully expects other defenses to employ the same approach.

"They played great coverage," Moss said. "It was never man, it was just a lot of zones here and there. They played that way the whole game."

Added Gibbs: "They played it cautious. But when they stay back, it should open up the run and a lot of other things, too."

Portis struggled, rushing for just nine yards on four carries in his lowest output as a Redskin. He wants to put the Giants game in the rear-view mirror and he doesn't expect anything close to a repeat performance this Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Asked if he wonders what Redskins team will show up against the Eagles, Portis replied: "I don't wonder. I know what type of team we have here. You've never seen us play like that before, and hopefully you won't again. Last year, we were a 6-10 team but you still didn't see the kind of team that would lose 36-0. You'll never see guys quit around here. You'll never see guys drop their head around here."