It looked like the ball was in the air forever. Aldrick Robinson had to make up ground, but with no defenders within shouting distance, the Washington Redskins receiver just had to complete a little game of catch.
When he did, Robinson came down with a 49-yard touchdown in the second quarter Sunday and showed what he can mean to Robert Griffin III and the offense. For a player whose opportunities are limited, it was a much-needed moment.
Two weeks ago, one ball was thrown to Robinson, and he dropped it. This time, he didn’t let the chance slip through his fingers.
“I knew I was getting the ball,” Robinson said. “He put it in a spot where I had to chase it, so I didn’t have to think about it that much.”
What Robinson had to do to for his only catch in the Redskins’ 31-6 drubbing of the Philadelphia Eagles was exploit a breakdown in coverage. Griffin did most of the work by making Eagles safety Nate Allen leave his deep responsibility to cover tight end Niles Paul.
“Niles was wide open. When there’s open guys and you can stare a receiver down, they’re going to try to cover that open guy,” Griffin said. “And Aldrick’s extremely fast. If you make a misstep, he can get by you, and that’s what he was able to do.”
Robinson wasn’t surprised that Philadelphia’s secondary wasn’t on top of the coverage; the same thing happened in practice. But that didn’t make it any less meaningful of a play.
“It feels good,” he said, “but it feels better to win.”
Paulsen rebounds
Logan Paulsen was worried. As he was getting brought to the ground the Redskins tight end made sure his left knee was supported, but he couldn’t do the same with his left hip.
He got up and felt the pain and hobbled to the sideline. Paulsen let the worry creep into his mind that it was a serious injury but came back into the game to catch a touchdown pass that sealed the victory.
On the touchdown, he needed a second effort to get into the end zone, and his hip didn’t seem to be a concern.
“I didn’t even know I scored until Josh Morgan came up to me and said, ’Congratulations’ because I couldn’t see where I was on the field,” Paulsen said. “Very cool. I’m really happy about it, happy for the team and happy about the win.”
Afterward, Paulsen shook off his initial concern.
“Thankfully, I don’t think it’s very serious. I’m going to talk to the doctors tomorrow and stuff,” he said. “But I’m feeling very optimistic that it’s not anything bad.”
Morris’ miscommunication
Running back Alfred Morris finished with 20 carries for 76 yards, continuing an impressive rookie season, but Sunday was also fraught with mistakes. Morris was whistled for two false start penalties and was responsible for one sack on Griffin because he was on the quarterback’s wrong side for a zone read handoff.
“There was a lot going on in our minds. There’s definitely sometimes going to be some miscommunications,” Morris said. “But we still won. We were able to work out the kinks and get this ’W.’”
Injury report
• Cornerback Josh Wilson hurt his shoulder late in the game and did not return.
• Eagles running back LeSean McCoy suffered a concussion on a legal helmet-to-helmet hit from Madieu Williams. Coach Andy Reid said he had no regrets about McCoy being in the game long after the outcome had been determined.
• Stephen Whyno can be reached at swhyno@washingtontimes.com.
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