Clinton Portis has terrorized the Kansas City Chiefs over the years and in the early going on Sunday, it appeared he was poised for another huge game.
On the Redskins' first offensive series, Portis rushed for 26 yards on six carries and the offensive line was opening up gaping holes for him.
But as the game wore on, the rushing yards were tougher to come by. The Redskins fell behind in the second half and were forced to pass more often.
Portis, who was slowed somewhat by a shin injury, finished the game with a respectable 77 yards on 21 carries. He also played a key role in the short passing game, hauling in four passes for 51 yards.
The Redskins' offense racked up 398 total yards, but it wasn't enough as the Chiefs capitalized on turnovers to win 28-21 on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.
"It's frustrating," Portis said after the game. "To know we outplayed somebody--we shouldn't have lost either of the last two games--it's tough to take. You credit each of the last two teams we played. We know how we lost, now we have to find a way to win.
"We know we basically dominated both games. We lost because of the turnovers and if we don't get that straightened out, we're going to lose some more games, too."
One of the turnovers occurred when Portis was sidelined late in the third quarter. He came out of the game for a breather, but it was evident that his shin injury was bothering him at the time.
Rock Cartwright replaced Portis. On his third carry of the game, Cartwright was stripped of the ball. Chiefs' safety Sammy Knight scooped it up and raced 80 yards for a touchdown.
Asked why he was out of the game at the time, Portis replied: "It was a rotation. I was hurt and Rock is a capable guy. When his number's called, you go in and perform."
Added Portis: "Unfortunately for Rock, that situation happened. There's no reason for him to hold his head down. That could have happened to me. It could have happened to Mark Brunell and it could have happened to Santana Moss."
Asked about his injury, Portis said that his shin was bothering him at various points of the game.
He is committed to playing through it.
"It's aggravating, but you have to play through it," he said. "When you see guys out there giving it there all, when you see Jon Jansen out there playing with two broken thumbs, when you see Mark Brunell get waylaid in the backfield and he continues to fight, you have to keep going.
"It's football. The pain is going to be there. At this point of the season, there's not a player around the league who's 100 percent right now."
So far this season, Portis has rushed for 443 yards on 104 carries, a 4.3-yard average. He does not yet have a touchdown this season--and he hasn't scored a TD in the Redskins' last eight games.
Portis has produced some of the biggest games of his career against Kansas City. Entering Sunday's game, Portis had 559 yards on 81 carries, 6.9 yards-per-carry average, and 10 rushing touchdowns against the Chiefs. He also had totaled 13 receptions for 204 yards and one touchdown reception.
-- GAMEDAY INACTIVES: SPRINGS, CLARK, BETTS
Cornerback Shawn Springs and safety Ryan Clark sat out Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Both were declared inactive for the game.
As reported by Redskins.com on Saturday, Clark was diagnosed with a bruised spleen. Clark did not make the team's trip to Kansas City on Saturday afternoon.
With Clark sidelined, Matt Bowen and Pierson Prioleau shared duties at safety alongside Sean Taylor. Assistant head coach-defense Gregg Williams played Bowen and Prioleau depending on the situation and package.
Springs had been hampered by a shin injury. He sustained the injury in practice prior to the Week 5 game at Denver and did not practice last week. Walt Harris and Carlos Rogers started at cornerback, with Ade Jimoh serving as the nickel cornerback.
The team's complete list of inactive players was as follows: kicker John Hall, Springs, Clark, running back Ladell Betts, offensive lineman Jim Molinaro and defensive linemen Nic Clemons and Aki Jones.
The third quarterback was Jason Campbell.
With Betts inactive due to a groin injury, Rock Cartwright served as the primary backup to Clinton Portis.
Rookie running back Nehemiah Broughton was active for his first NFL game, but saw action only on special teams. He managed one kickoff return for five yards.
Another rookie, cornerback Dimitri Patterson also got in his first NFL game on special teams. Patterson was signed to the Redskins' roster on Saturday to help with depth due to Springs' injury.
The Chiefs listed the following players as inactive: cornerback Eric Warfield, offensive linemen Will Svitek, Jeremy Parquet and Kevin Sampson, wide receiver Chris Horn and defensive linemen Ryan Sims and Khari Long.
The Chiefs third quarterback was Damon Huard.
