Portis could miss next four games

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PHILADELPHIA -- Clinton Portis missed just four games in his first four NFL seasons. The Washington Redskins' franchise running back likely will miss at least that many this season.

Portis fractured a bone in his right ring finger when he was tackled by Philadelphia Eagles safety Brian Dawkins late in the first quarter of a 27-3 loss yesterday at Lincoln Financial Field. Bubba Tyer, the Redskins' director of sports medicine, said Portis could miss the next four games.

"He's got to be able to use his hand and be secure with what he does with the football," Tyer said.

Portis will have two pins surgically inserted into the finger, perhaps today. He missed three weeks because of a partially dislocated left shoulder suffered in the preseason opener and did not play in a Week 2 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. He also spent part of last month's bye week with a sprained left ankle encased in a walking boot.

Ladell Betts will fill in for Portis. Betts has started just five games in his five seasons, including the first two this season. He gained 83 yards on 20 carries yesterday and caught four passes to raise his career-best reception total to 30.

"I'm so used to Clinton getting banged up and coming off the field and then going back in that I kept looking over to the sideline," Betts said. "When [my first] series was over, I didn't see him, and they told me they had taken Clinton to the locker room."

Associate head coach-offense Al Saunders praised Betts' consistency and said third-stringer T.J. Duckett, who yesterday got carries for the first time since Week 2, will get playing time, too. Duckett carried twice for 16 yards against the Eagles.

The Redskins rushed 31 times for 146 yards, both the third-highest totals in nine games. Their 4.7-yards a carry average was two-tenths better than their season average.

"We've got a lot of good backs," offensive tackle Jon Jansen said. "Ladell is a very quality back, and we saw today that 36 [Duckett] can do a couple of things, too."

Unhappy return