Clinton Portis entered the season needing just 875 yards to tie John Riggins as the franchise's all-time leading rusher. (Photo: Associated Press)

Clinton Portis entered the season with 6,597 yards as a Redskin and within 875 yards of John Riggins for first place on the franchise’s all-time rushing list.

During the training camp, with Portis slimmed down and showing good quickness and explosion, it looked as if Riggo -- the most beloved Redskin of all time for many fans -- just might be unseated.

Portis struggled in the first two games of the season, then got off to a strong start in Week 3 before falling down and being replaced as the primary runner by Ryan Torain. Then last week he again started strong while facing the Eagles, and after picking up 55 yards on 11 carries, Portis suffered his groin pull in the third quarter.

 The Redskins say that Portis should be out four to six weeks, but that’s optimistic. A significantly younger Fred Taylor in 2001 was coming off of a 1,399-yard season but suffered a bad groin pull in the second game of the 2001 season. He ended up not coming back at all that season for the Jaguars.

Portis now has 6,792 rushing yards, and taking his injury into account, it appears that Riggins’ record is safe for this year. And given the fact that next season he is due to make $8.3 million, it’s highly unlikely that Portis would be brought back next year, meaning Riggo’s mark might be good for a very long time.

There’s still a slim chance for Portis. If the Redskins’ best-case scenario of him missing only four weeks is correct, Portis would return with eight games left and would need to average 85 yards an outing to pick up the remaining 680 yards needed to tie Riggins. If the six-week projection is correct and Portis is out another two weeks and returns with six games left in the season, he would need to average 113.3 yards a contest.

Portis has only 195 yards in four games (48.8 yard per game average). It will take him a while to regain his form even if completely healed by either of those dates. Also by then, if all goes well for the Redskins, Torain will be firmly established as a quality back and will be hard to unseat. So, it looks like a long shot.

Nothing is impossible, however. Right?

What’s your prediction on Portis? Does he come back in time and pass Riggins? Does he face too much of an uphill climb even when he does return? Or, does he not even make it back?