John Matthews
WMAL.com
CLEVELAND — All eyes were on the quarterbacks, but the biggest impact of the Redskins preseason opener was at the end of the offensive line.
Niles Paul, who was named the team’s starting tight end just last week, broke his left ankle early in the first quarter of the Redskins’ 20-17 win over the Cleveland Browns, ending his season.
“The staff and players are sick about it,” head coach Jay Gruden said. “He’s going to be OK, but it’s a major loss. It’s hard for us on and off the field.”
Paul’s injury – for the moment – leaves the Redskins without a single veteran tight end. Backup Jordan Reed missed Thursday’s game with a strained hamstring, and 3rd stringer Logan Paulsen could also be out for year with a torn ligament in his big toe.
As for the game itself, the Redskins fell behind early, trailing 14 – 3 in the second quarter. Quarterback Robert Griffin III ran both hot and cold during his one quarter of action. On the Redskins first possession, Griffin went play action on a bomb that landed softly in Pierre Garcon’s hands for a ceertain touchdown – except that Garcon dropped the ball.
During his two drives, Griffin showed that his legs are still working – scrambling for a first down at one point, and completing a 22-yard pass even as he was getting slammed to the ground.
“You’re going to get hit every now and then,” Griffin said. “I thought we did a good job moving the ball. Get in, get out and that’s all you can ask for.”
But RGIII also overthrew two consecutive fade passes in the end zone for what should have been touchdowns. He finished 4 for 8 for 36 yards.
Griffin’s biggest problem may not have been his play, but that of his backup, Kirk Cousins. Cousins brought the Redskins back in the second and third quarters, taking instant command of the offense and completing 12 of 14 passes for 154 yards. He also scrambled for a touchdown.
The Redskins want to emphasize their running game this season to take pressure off of RGIII, and on that front, Alfred Morris looked sharp, running 8 times for 42 yards. Rookie back Matt Jones ripped off a 23-yard run in the second quarter and finished with 38 yards on five carries.
Cleveland has its own drama at quarterback. Starter Josh McCown played just one series, but completed all five of his passes – the last a 2-yard touchdown to Travis Benjamin, who was wide open in the corner of the end zone.
“He looked lonely, so I threw him the football,” McCown said.
The Browns’ other quarterback, the former “Johnny Football”, Johnny Manziel, looked relatively sharp, scrambling for a touchdown in two quarters of work.
The Redskins will host the Detroit Lions at Fed Ex Field next Thursday night.
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