Adams Makes History in Schooling Vikings’ Young Cornerbacks
MINNEAPOLIS – The Green Bay Packers have had a pantheon of great receivers. There’s the immortal Don Hutson and the Hall of Famer James Lofton. Sterling Sharpe might have been in the Hall of Fame if not for injury. From there, the line of succession has gone from Robert Brooks to Antonio Freeman to Javon Walker to Donald Driver, and continued with Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb.
Davante Adams, of course, is the next great Packers receiver, and he made history in Green Bay’s 43-34 thumping of the Minnesota Vikings in Sunday’s opening showdown. Adams caught 14 passes, tying Hutson’s franchise record set against the New York Giants in 1942. He did it in style, converting a first-and-20 with a 40-yard strike up the right sideline that set up the final touchdown of the game.
Minnesota’s revamped cornerback corps was no match for one of the NFL’s top receivers. Former first-round pick Mike Hughes was torched throughout the game, and neither Holton Hill nor Cameron Dantzler have any luck, either. Whether it was outs, crossing routes, screens or deep shots, Adams couldn’t be stopped. He caught 14-of-17 passes for 156 yards and two touchdowns.
Since 1950, according to Pro Football Reference, there have been three instances of a Packers player catching at least 13 passes. All of them belong to Adams, with his 13-catch games vs. Minnesota in Week 16 of last season and against Chicago in 2016.
Also since 1950, only the Saints’ Michael Thomas (16 catches vs. Tampa Bay in 2018) and the Chargers’ Keenan Allen (15 catches vs. Detroit in 2015) caught more passes than Adams in Week 1. Adams and Atlanta's Andre Rison (vs. Detroit in 1994) are the only receivers with 14 catches and two touchdowns in the opener.
While there have been times when Rodgers forced the ball to Adams as the passing game’s premier threat, there was no forcing it on Sunday. Adams was routinely open.
“We’re always going to try to get him the ball,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “He’s such a dynamic playmaker. Some of it was just him and Aaron being on the same page in terms of some of these run alerts that we like to throw. Other times, it was based upon the coverage that was presented in front of us. Davante’s a dynamic player, there’s no doubt about it. He’s one of the best in the league.”
Most of Adams’ catches looked routine because he had gotten himself so open. One highlight-reel play came late in the first half. With Rodgers on the move, he threw a bullet to Adams right at the side of the end zone for a 24-yard touchdown against star safety Anthony Harris that put Green Bay on top 15-7. His second touchdown was much more routine, an easy catch against Holton Hill on a sprint-out by Rodgers.
Adams said he sensed a big game was on the horizon.
“Aaron and I, we have our own meetings with just me and him,” Adams said. “He tells me to come to him with certain routes that I like going into the week, and we talk about that. My preparation was pretty much wrapped up Friday, and it was just locking in and tapping into getting ready to play here in front of zero thousand fans. I kind of had some different mental waves. Because we didn't have any games yet, I was a little jacked up for that. That’s no disrespect to that ball club, they’re definitely talented, but just based off the vibe and the way this offense is on with me and 12 right now.”
With Adams on a roll, Rodgers couldn’t help but think to the connection he used to have with Nelson. Rodgers and Nelson had the same weekly meetings that Rodgers and Adams do now. Chemistry takes time. Adams and Rodgers have taken the time.
“Him and I were just always on the same page,” Rodgers said of Nelson. “There was nothing that we couldn't do on the field with our nonverbal communication, but we would have conversations during the week and even morning of the game and even during the game about tiny little adjustments we wanted to make. Davante was around that, and it was the same way with Randall. And I think anybody who sees that and sees the success you can have when there's two guys on the same page, I think there's a desire to have that same relationship. I've worked hard and Davante has, as well, with our communication to where I feel like games like today are possible. He had a couple plays during the game today that kind of reminded me of the connection Jordy and I had, especially with an outside receiver, just little, subtle adjustments, especially with his angles at the top of stems was pretty fun to see us connect on.”
Adams had some vintage matchups with former Vikings cornerback Xavier Rhodes over the years. Adams frequently won those matchups. For Minnesota’s young corners – Hughes and Hill are third-year players who entered the game with nine career starts, and the rest of the depth chart is filled with rookies – it was a trial by fire. Maybe they’ll be better for a midseason rematch – Adams went out of his way to talk about them in complimentary terms – but Adams ran circles around that group on Sunday to help Green Bay an early jump in the NFC North standings.
“You can always sense the nerves with guys who don't have as much experience guarding anyone in the league, let alone me,” Adams said. “So, you can sense it, but they're really good players. I definitely try to bring it every time. I don't take it lightly just because I'm Davante Adams, and they are who they are, a young guy coming into the league. I don't ever look at it like that. I try to treat everybody like they're Deion Sanders, and I think that's where the success comes from. You see a lot of people who may disrespect their opponent. I don't disrespect anybody. I go out there and treat it like they're the best ever, and that's where the results come.”
