‘It sucks’: Adams sidelined with game on the line
By getting Davante Adams the ball, the Green Bay Packers’ offense finally got moving. Now, it might have to try to keep it rolling without its premier receiver.
Davante Adams had a monster game against the Philadelphia Eagles, but his final catch was an imperfect No. 10. Adams’ 13-yard catch with about 10 minutes remaining converted a third-and-6, but his foot got “stuck in the ground” and resulted in what Adams called a turf-toe injury. Adams went to the medical tent and missed the entire doomed series of plays from the 1-yard line and remained unavailable as the Packers marched back down the field but turned over the ball on second-and-goal from the 3 to cement a 34-27 loss.
“It sucks. You feel like in situations like that you let the team down,” Adams said, conducting the interview without his right shoe. “Obviously, I would’ve been out there if I could, but I’m in a little bit of pain and it was tough. With a toe injury and the type of player I am, what my game is based on is explosion and things like that, so if I can’t get out there and really do my thing how I want and I’m in a lot of pain, I’m sure my teammates understand that. But it’s tough, because I feel like those are the type of moments that I’m built for and I’ve been able to capitalize in bringing him a win or help bring home a win for my team in the past, so it sucks.”
Adams said he will have more testing done on Friday.
It’s impossible to know if the Packers would have at least forced overtime had Adams not been injured. Certainly, their odds of scoring would have been better with Adams. From 2016 through 2018, Adams piled up 35 touchdown receptions – only one less than Antonio Brown’s league-leading total. And the Eagles’ beat-up secondary had no answers for Adams on this night with 10 catches for 180 yards.
“I felt that way,” he said. “Obviously based on last week, we had a little bit of an aim to come in and try to get things rolling early and often, and I felt like we were in a good rhythm all game. So, yeah, it sucks that it was derailed by something like that. I’m just trying to control the controllables at this point and do what I can do to make sure I can get back out there.”
On the series in which he was hurt, the Packers eventually got a first-and-goal from the 1. Four incompletions later, the Eagles had preserved their 34-27 lead. The Packers got one more chance with the ball but, on second-and-goal at the 3, Rodgers’ pass to Marquez Valdes-Scantling – the last man standing with any proven production in their receiver corps – was tipped and intercepted.
Coach Matt LaFleur’s team had been relatively healthy through the first three games but was hammered by a series of key injuries from the start. Running back Jamaal Williams suffered a heck and neck injury on the first play from scrimmage. He gave the fans a thumbs up as he was carted off the field, and the team reported he had feeling and movement in his extremities. With rookie running back Dexter Williams inactive, LaFleur had only Aaron Jones and fullback Danny Vitale at his disposal.
Safety Will Redmond, who got the start in the Packers’ 3-3-5 defense, left with a concussion, cornerback Kevin King, whose two breakups didn’t include a key play to prevent a two-point conversion, exited with a groin injury and cornerback Tony Brown left with a hamstring injury. The injuries in the secondary only compounded the season-ending injury to Raven Greene against Minnesota in Week 2.
Right tackle Bryan Bulaga didn’t play the second half following a shoulder injury. Alex Light replaced Bulaga and was beaten repeatedly initially by veteran defensive end Brandon Graham but settled in as the Packers tried their fourth-quarter rally.
