Mixed signals on Portis

Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis said there’s “no doubt in my mind” he will play Sunday night at Baltimore.

But after another practice at Redskin Park in which Portis didn’t participate, coach Jim Zorn said Wednesday the reality of having to sit Portis for a game because he’s so banged-up is creeping up on the Redskins.

“At some point, and I don’t know if it’s this game, I just have to say, ’Hey, let’s shut this thing down. Let’s give him a week [off] so he can actually practice,’” Zorn said. “But I can’t do that right now. The problem is that every one of these games keep building and building. That third quarter [of the season] - we lost to three awesome football teams.”

The Redskins’ last three losses have come against Pittsburgh, Dallas and the New York Giants, who have three of the NFL’s top-10 rushing defenses. Portis has suffered ankle, hip, leg, knee, rib cage and neck injuries in the last five games.

“My whole body is sore,” he said. “I’m getting old, and it’s Week 14. It’s rough out there.”

Portis’ 255 carries are third in the league, and his 1,228 yards the second most. He has not practiced since Week 9.

“I’m trying to get him to play every single week,” Zorn said of allowing Portis not to practice. “We have to. We just have to.”

The Redskins don’t blow anybody out, so removing Portis from a game early hasn’t happened.

Portis played a season-low 31 snaps against the Giants, leaving the field on most third-down situations. Portis’ 22 rushing yards against the Giants were his fewest in three years.

During Wednesday’s practice, Portis mostly watched but did take part in the morning walkthrough.

“I caught sweet passes, ran some sweet routes - I did some sweet stuff,” he said.

Zorn said he doesn’t see any hesitation in Portis’ running style during the games.

“Once he decides he can go, he goes,” Zorn said. “That’s why I keep playing him. If I thought he was going to hold back or go at a slow pace, I wouldn’t play him. But when I see him burst and accelerate, we owe it to ourselves to play him.”

Springs questionable

In addition to Portis, cornerback Shawn Springs (calf), left tackle Chris Samuels (knee), left guard Pete Kendall (knees), right guard Randy Thomas (day off) and linebackers Marcus Washington (ankle), Alfred Fincher (personal reasons) and London Fletcher (foot) did not practice.

Washington is expected to miss his third consecutive game. Zorn labeled Springs’ status as questionable after he injured his calf for the fourth time this year. All the other players should be available.

“It’s not going to be right until the end of the season,” Springs said. “People are going to be surprised on Sunday night. I’m playing.”

Defensive tackle Kedric Golston (bone spurs in foot) returned to practice after missing the Giants game.

Another 3-4 scheme

Baltimore’s 3-4 defense is ranked second in the NFL, including third against the run and second against the pass. The Redskins are 2-2 against that alignment this season, splitting with Dallas, defeating Cleveland and losing to Pittsburgh. Terrell Suggs leads the Ravens with 5.5 sacks.

“You can draw a lot of analogies between Suggs and DeMarcus Ware,” Kendall said. “They’re listed as linebackers, but they have the skill set of a defensive end. It’s a really tough matchup for an offensive tackle, let alone a running back, and you have to take that into account when you’re game planning.”

Tough ticket

If Redskins fans want to infiltrate M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday night and don’t have tickets, it will be costly. On StubHub.com Wednesday, tickets ranged from $125 for upper-deck seats to $653 for a club-level ticket.

The Redskins haven’t played a regular-season game in Baltimore since losing 21-17 to the Colts on Nov. 6, 1978.