San Francisco 49ers cornerback Rashard Robinson allowed just one reception against the Dallas Cowboys. Judging by that statistic alone, you might assume he had a pretty good outing. Of course, anyone who watched the game knows that wasn't the case. Thanks to some undisciplined play, Robinson was actually the lowest graded player in the game for either team, according to Pro Football Focus.
The Pro Football Focus analysis team explained the grade like this:
"Robinson was the lowest-graded player in the game, and it was largely due to penalties. He was beaten for Dez Bryant's touchdown on a double move in the end zone, but he was also flagged twice in coverage, once for pass interference and once for illegal contact, effectively giving up a big play any time the ball came near him."
Robinson's two penalties against Dallas gave the cornerback a total of eight over the last five games. On Monday, head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke to reporters and was asked about Robinson's penalties.
"You never want a guy to get a [pass interference call] and the best way to not get a P.I. is to not touch a guy," Shanahan said. "I promise there's touching on every play and it's up to the ref whether they want to call a P.I. or not. And you've got to adjust to them. Sometimes, they're going to be harder than others but if you are putting your hands on guys, it gives them an opportunity to make a call and then you leave it up to them.
"You can't get those calls and they're huge ones, especially when they happen on third down. I thought one was worse than the others but if you put your hands on people, they always have the opportunity to call it. Just because they don't always, it doesn't mean that you can do it. You've got to adjust to them and you've got to work your feet and get into a better position."
Expectations were high for the second-year cornerback, who, as a rookie, showed great potential. In 2016, Robinson started six games and appeared in 14. Like the rest of the 49ers cornerbacks, Robinson has graded poorly this season. He is currently ranked 104 out of 111 cornerbacks based on his Pro Football Focus grade.
Robinson became the team's top cornerback following the arrest and release of Tramaine Brock in April. Since then, his performances in games has been erratic. On October 12, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh was asked what Robinson needs to do to play on a more consistent level.
"It comes back to preparation," Saleh said. "There's a difference between ready and prepared. In my mind, everyone is ready to go take the field, but it's the ones who are prepared that actually have a consistent level of success. For Rashard, preparation starts in practice. Having deliberate practice every single day. Going out and not taking any rep for granted."