Jan 11, 2015; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams (17) gets away from Dallas Cowboys free safety J.J. Wilcox (27) to score a touchdown in the third quarter in the 2014 NFC Divisional playoff football game at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Green Bay Packers rookie wide receiver Davante Adams came up big in the team’s 26-21 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, recording seven catches for 117 yards on 11 targets, including a 46-yard touchdown reception. Before the postseason began, I wrote this in my playoff predictions about Green Bay going into Seattle and possibly getting a win:
"“This game may come down to two matchups that look obscure on paper: Randall Cobb vs. Byron Maxwell and rookie receiver Davante Adams vs. Seattle’s corner Jeremy Lane. Richard Sherman will probably spend most of his time covering Jordy Nelson, which will allow Cobb and Adams to have matchups against Seattle’s second and third corners. If they win those matchups, Rodgers will get the ball to them and move the offense. I think Cobb will be able to get the best of Maxwell, and Adams vs. Lane is a toss-up — but I give the advantage to Adams based on the way he’s been playing lately.”"
That still holds true. Assuming Aaron Rodgers is healthier, Davante Adams vs. Jeremy Lane or Tharold Simon will be a top matchup to watch. Adams burned Dallas’s third cornerback Sterling Moore last Sunday, and he’s an X-factor for a Green Bay team that will face a tough challenge in Seattle. Here, I’ll take a look at four of Adams’ receptions and illustrate how he’s becoming a reliable target for Rodgers. He made several clutch catches on third down, including a 46-yard touchdown on 3rd & 15 and a grab for a first down to seal the game on 3rd & 3 with about 2:30 to go in the game.
In the third quarter, Adams (yellow circle) was matched up on Dallas’s third cornerback Sterling Moore (red circle):
Adams ran a short comeback route and burned Moore to pick up the first down. Remember, Moore isn’t a bad corner, especially in the playoffs — he was the one who knocked the ball out of Lee Evans’ hands in 2011 which was a deciding play in the AFC Championship game that sent New England to the Super Bowl.
Adams clearly beat Moore on the route, and Rodgers delivered a strike. Adams caught the ball, broke Moore’s tackle attempt and went right around him, and picked up a little less than 20 yards.
This play was a sign of things to come, as Adams consistently beat Moore off the ball and picked up huge chunks of yardage on important downs. Here’s the 3rd & 15 touchdown reception — Adams (yellow circle) was again matched up one-on-one with Moore (red circle):
Moore tried to jam Adams at the line, but it didn’t work. Adams used his hands well, without pushing off, to create some separation and get past Moore.
After Adams was able to beat the jam, he had a step on the cornerback.
The route is an “in” route right at the marker. Adams made his cut to the inside right there. A lot of young receivers sometimes mess up on this — meaning, they run their routes short of the marker. Here, however, Adams didn’t.
The red arrow is where Adams caught the pass, and he turned it up field. Moore did catch up to Adams a little bit when the receiver made his cut, but Aaron Rodgers threw a perfect pass. Adams then had four defenders closing in on him, but he managed to juke J.J. Wilcox out of his shoes and outrace the other Cowboys’ defenders to the end zone.
Here’s a video of the play.
Adams did just about everything right on this play. First, he was able to get past Sterling Moore’s attempt to jam him at the line of scrimmage and gain a step on him. Then he ran an excellent route right at the marker and made a solid cut to the inside, allowing Rodgers to make his throw. Adams then evaded four Dallas defenders on his way to the end zone. That’s a heck of an impressive play, needless to say.
In the fourth quarter, Adams again came up big. On a 2nd & 8, he (yellow circle) was lined up against Moore again:
He ran a shallow hitch route on Moore again and sat down on the route when Moore didn’t contest, leaving the Packers’ receiver wide open.
Rodgers delivered a strike yet again. Notice how Adams (above, in the bottom-left corner) wasn’t across the first down marker — he made a sweet spin move to escape Moore’s grasp.
After he broke Moore’s tackle attempt, Adams turned on the jets and picked up the first down and more.
All of these plays were aided by on-target throws by Aaron Rodgers — but Adams’ game-sealing catch did not come on a good throw. If Adams had not adjusted on the 3rd & 3 with about 2:30 to go, Rodgers might have been intercepted. Again, Adams was lined up one-on-one with Moore:
Again, it was a hitch route right past the yellow first down marker.
As seen above, Adams was wide open when he turned around. The ball should’ve been out of Rodgers’ hands by then, but it wasn’t. Because the pass was late, it allowed Moore to regain position and at least attempt to make a play on the ball. Then, this happened:
Adams made an incredible adjustment to the pass. Not only did he catch it, but he also escaped Moore’s tackle attempt and turned it up the field for at least 20 yards.
Above, Adams could have simply ran out of bounds to avoid getting hit, but I think he knew that he should stay in bounds. Usually, receivers would run out of bounds, but Adams, to keep the clock running and force Dallas to use a timeout, cut it back inside, picked up five more yards, and fell down in bounds. That was a smart play, especially by a rookie.
He made every play possible on Sunday, and if he can replicate his success against another third cornerback in this weekend’s NFC title game, the Packers should be able to compete with a top-notch Seattle defense. Not only did Adams have a big showing in the passing game, he also made some big blocks. On Eddie Lacy’s long run, he threw a key block down the field.
When he’s running routes, Adams will most likely be matched up on Jeremy Lane or Tharold Simon — he’ll have to win that matchup. Seattle’s cover 3 defense will most likely be aimed at making Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb non-factors, which could leave Adams in one-on-one coverage. As shown against Dallas, he is capable of doing some serious damage to defenses.
If Adams continues his stellar play, the NFC title game could be much more competitive than expected.
Click here to see Adams’ full highlights against Dallas in the Divisional Round.