Washington Redskins running back Chris Thompson was looking forward to a breakout campaign in 2018. He had worked diligently to recover from an ankle injury that landed him on injured reserve a season ago, but Thompson has now missed four games this year due to ribs injuries, and there’s no guarantee he’ll be back this Sunday against the Texans.

The pain continues to linger, and there isn’t anything Thompson can do about it. There is no real active rehab treatment for injured ribs, outside of rest, and that’s the last thing Thompson wants to be doing as Washington sits in first place in the NFC East. The 6-3 start is the best for the organization since 2008.

“I can’t lie and say I’ve been handling it well, because I haven’t,” said Thompson, who is typically known as having one of the most upbeat personalities in the Redskins’ locker room. “It’s real frustrating for me because I always want to be out there. I felt like I put together a really good offseason to be able to come back from this ankle injury. First couple games I was feeling good, and then it just seems like things started to happen after that.

“It’s aggravating because I’ve missed three games already. I’ve missed way too many games, in my opinion. This team, the owner, the president, Doug [Williams], all of those guys, they pay me to be here and be able to play week in and week out. For me to not be able to be out there, it’s super frustrating and I just got to do everything I can to try to stay positive every day, but it’s hard.”

Thompson missed two games against the Panthers and Cowboys, but returned to face the Giants in a game in which he suffered another rib injury. The new one has kept him from the last two games, and he is considered day-to-day. Thompson said he feels better, but his status for this week’s Houston game will probably be another game-time decision. Rib injuries can be aggravated almost every time a person moves. Whether it’s jogging, bending over or simply breathing, the body’s core is involved in that movement.

Depending on the severity, many injured players that are considered questionable will come out and watch practice or work with trainers in the rehab area. Thompson hasn’t been able to do that.

“It’s even hard to be out there at practice,” Thompson said. “That’s kind of one of the reasons I haven’t been out at the practices, too, because it’s just hard being out there. I can’t do anything outside of being uncomfortable standing for too long, sitting for too long . . . I’ve just got to focus on trying to get better and being patient, because sometimes with ribs it can happen quick or it can be a slow process.”

Norman wants noise: Redskins cornerback Josh Norman voiced his frustrations with the home fans back in Washington following Sunday’s 16-3 road win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The team is 3-1 on the road, and Norman was asked about the team’s success when it plays away from FedEx Field.

“I feel like we play better on the road. I’m not going to lie,” Norman said. “Gosh, man. It just seems like the true fans . . . they really be with us on the road. We feed off of that.

“We go into the homestands, and it’s like an open bubble. Like the other team’s turf or something. You hear more of them than you do us. Then if something bad happens, they suck. They sit back in their seat, and they boo. I don’t know. This year, I’m starting to see that.”

The organization boasted that it had a 50-year home sellout streak before it ended in the home opener against the Indianapolis Colts. The announced 57,013 was the lowest attendance for a Redskins home opener in 21 years at FedEx Field. A long-touted wait list for season tickets also was done away with this season.