Zorn ‘cautious' about Portis's return

ATLANTA --

Zorn 'cautious' about Portis's return

Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis was knocked out of Sunday's 31-17 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in the first quarter, suffering an apparent concussion on a run that was called back because of a holding call.

Portis, the Redskins' leading rusher on the season, took the ball from quarterback Jason Campbell and ran around the left tackle with 3 minutes 26 seconds left in the first quarter and the Redskins trailing, 7-0. Center Casey Rabach was called for holding on the play. Portis fell hard to the Georgia Dome turf when he was tackled by Atlanta defensive backs Chevis Jackson and Thomas DeCoud.

Portis lay face-down on the turf for a few seconds before team athletic trainers rolled him over. Coach Jim Zorn said Portis was "knocked out."

"You tell me what happened," Portis said after the game. "I don't remember what happened."

Zorn said it was too early to say how long Portis might be out, if at all.

"He had kind of one of those smiles on his face that you know [he] was wondering what the heck happened," Zorn said. "I would never make a diagnosis on a guy getting knocked out. We just have to wait and see. There'll be some tests to see whether or not there was a concussion and how long it takes."

Zorn said the team would be "cautious" about Portis's return. Portis spent the second half of the game on the sideline in a T-shirt and athletic shorts.

"I got a headache," he said. "I'm sore. But I think I'll be all right."

Portis, who ran just four times for four yards, was replaced by backup Ladell Betts, who carried 15 times for 70 yards -- more than in any game since 2006 -- and scored a touchdown on a fourth-down play from the 1.

Portis's injury was just one in a slew suffered by the Redskins Sunday. Campbell, who was sacked five times, was twice knocked from the game, the first time in the first half with a chest bruise, the next with what Zorn later described as a "high-ankle sprain" in the second half. Campbell returned even after the sprain, and he'll be evaluated during the week.

Tackle Mike Williams also sprained an ankle and was replaced by D'Anthony Batiste. Safety Reed Doughty sprained his knee.

Making his mark

In the preseason, rookie Marko Mitchell was the Redskins' leading receiver with 113 yards and three touchdowns in four games, but he'd been inactive for five of the first seven games. Coaches told him Friday that he'd see some playing time Sunday in Atlanta.

On the team's first touchdown drive, Mitchell had an 11-yard catch on first down, which put Washington on the Atlanta 25-yard line. Then in the fourth, he had another 11-yard reception, this time converting a third down.

"It felt real good," said Mitchell, a seventh-round pick out of Nevada. "It's been a long process, long time coming. So I felt good about the way things went."

An uneven showing

With tight end Chris Cooley on crutches, watching the loss from the sideline, the Redskins got mixed results from his replacements. Veteran Todd Yoder scored a crucial touchdown in the fourth quarter that put the Redskins within striking distance, but second-year tight end Fred Davis mishandled a ball in the first quarter, which led to a Falcons score.

Quarterback Jason Campbell targeted Davis late in the opening quarter. Though the throw was a bit high, Davis said he could've caught it. Instead, the ball bounced off his hands and into the hands of Falcons cornerback Tye Hill, who returned the interception 62 yards for Atlanta's second touchdown.

"I messed up on one play the whole game. Everything else was pretty solid for me," Davis said. "I just wanted to come out and do whatever I could to make some plays and help the team. Just that one pass off my hands. . . . I should have had it. You can say it was a little outside, but I got one hand on it and then the other. I should have made that catch."

Davis finished with two catches for 26 yards. Yoder, the team's only other tight end, had just one catch for three yards -- but it was a big one. On third and goal, Campbell rolled right but saw coverage everywhere. At the last moment, he spotted Yoder and hit him in the corner of the end zone, where Yoder barely got both feet inbounds. The score cut the Falcons' lead to 24-17.

"It gives us life, it gives us a great feeling . . . that we're coming back in this game," Yoder said. "Obviously at the end of the game, it [stinks] because we didn't win." Cooley, who had leg surgery during the bye week, expects to be re-examined Monday and hopes to have a better of idea when -- or if -- he can return this season.

-- Barry Svrluga and Rick Maese