ASHBURN, Va. -- As Washington Redskins tight end Vernon Davis turned around, with tight coverage by Dallas, something surprised him: the ball. He didn’t have time to react and a possible back-shoulder connection with quarterback Colt McCoy failed.

It was a natural throw for McCoy, who saw that Davis wasn’t winning his route, but a back-shoulder throw might work. But it’s not what the Redskins have been throwing a lot of this season. And that’s what they hope a week of practice, and one game working with McCoy, will cure.

That wasn’t the only time McCoy tried to throw that particular pass, or attacked down the field. The timing was off, but the intent was genuine -- and will continue. In five-plus quarters, McCoy’s average air yards per target is 9.56, compared to 7.85 under Alex Smith in his 10 starts. McCoy showed he will attack more aggressively, which can lead to turnovers -- but if it works, more big plays. That’s how one game can show the receivers what they must now do.

“Now our receivers have got to make sure they get their heads around and then adjust to the ball," Redskins coach Jay Gruden said.

On Monday night, the Redskins will face a Philadelphia Eagles defense with a secondary weakened by injuries. But will that be enough to ignite Washington's passing game? The Redskins don’t offer the same firepower at receiver that the New York Giants did when facing Philadelphia last week. And the Eagles often took away those wideouts by playing their corners deeper, forcing throws elsewhere.

The Redskins lack speed at receiver, so there’s no need to play off coverage. But that also will invite more shots from McCoy. That could mean more plays for receiver Josh Doctson, who has caught eight passes from McCoy already. Doctson had four catches of 30-plus yards last year; he has none this year. Tight end Jordan Reed could get more action -- he has caught nine of the 11 passes thrown his way by McCoy.

“It’s just timing,” Davis said. “Get the timing down. ... Getting the ball down the field, that’s what we want to do and that’s what we plan to do. It’s a bonus for us. If we’re able to get on the same page and execute, then it’s working in our favor.’

The lack of timing is one reason McCoy has completed only 1 of 6 throws of 20 yards or more in the air and 4 of 14 on throws of 15-plus yards, according to ESPN Stats & Information. The Redskins’ receivers have an NFL-low 11 receptions of 20 yards or more this season -- 36 fewer than the NFL leader, the Los Angeles Rams.

"I have to be smart about it, but at the same time, I think these guys have the ability to make plays,” McCoy said. “We need some explosive plays and giving these guys an opportunity down the field -- here and there -- to come down with the ball on a 50-50 throw.”

Now that he showed the receivers what he’s willing to do in a game, they can be aware of it in practice.

“When those opportunities present themselves, for me, being able to make that split-second quick decision of, '… Is this a chance I want to take here, or is it not? Do I trust this guy or do I not?'’ McCoy said.

The Eagles gave up explosive plays to the Giants' tight ends -- four receptions for 77 yards. That could mean good news for Reed and Davis. And third-down back Chris Thompson might return this week. That’s more good news for McCoy when it comes to options underneath.

But he still wants to attack when possible, whether on the back shoulder or just trying to let a receiver make a play. That takes work, especially if not’s not called in the huddle, but based on the quarterback and receiver reading coverage the same. McCoy did complete one of those throws to Doctson for 17 yards.

“We haven’t given a lot those guys a lot of opportunities, so it does take a little bit of time,” Gruden said. “It's a natural thing. That takes precision, that takes work, that takes confidence in the quarterback, the receiver coming back to the ball and making those plays. So, you see it all the time on Sundays. We haven’t seen a lot of them. We saw one with Josh last week, which was huge. If we can incorporate that as part of our game, those are big chunk plays we need to have."