Las Vegas Raiders Davante Adams Hall of Famer? New England Patriots' Bill Belichick's Praise
The New England Patriots (1-4) are reeling after a pair of blowout losses and now face a potentially crucial Week 6 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders (2-3) Sunday inside Allegiant Stadium.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick was quick to point out the volume of familiar faces in the Raiders organization, stating there's eight coaches, five scouts and nine players, headlined by general manager Dave Ziegler and coach Josh McDaniels.
But the Raiders player who perhaps demands Belichick's attention the most is receiver Davante Adams, a six-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro selection, all coming in the past three seasons.
The 30-year-old is in his 10th professional campaign and is widely viewed as one of the sport's best wideouts - and Belichick believes he has a spot waiting for him in Canton, Ohio.
"Adams is certainly a Hall of Fame receiver," Belichick said Wednesday. "He's ready for it. This guy's had tremendous production – touchdowns, receiving yards, catches, you name it."
Las Vegas Raiders receiver Davante Adams and New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick share plenty of mutual respect.
Patriot Country SI via USA Today
Since entering the league in 2014, Adams has caught 806 passes for 10,079 yards and 90 touchdowns. He leads the NFL in touchdown receptions over that timespan while ranking third in catches and fifth in receiving yards.
But Adams' career against Belichick-led defenses hasn't been as impressive.
Ironically, Adams put together the most productive game of his rookie season against New England, catching six passes for 121 yards, but in the two matchups that have followed (2018, 2022) he's been held to just 10 total receptions for 68 yards. In last year's Week 15 contest, Adams caught only four passes for 28 yards.
As such, Adams will enter Sunday searching for new results, though he reciprocated praise back to New England's defense and anticipates a challenge coming his way.
"They’re coached well," Adams said Wednesday. "They do a good job. I haven’t really had a game against the Patriots yet where I feel like I had the game I was hoping to have. They obviously understand who’s meant to do what."
The Patriots have battled secondary depth early and often this season, and star rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez being out for the remainder of the year may prove particularly costly against Adams, as Gonzalez was drawing opposing No. 1 receivers prior to his shoulder injury.
Instead, New England will turn to a cast of corners led by Jonathan Jones with hopes of slowing down Adams once again and getting back in the win column after a tumultuous two-week stretch.
The Patriots and Raiders are set to kick off at 4:05 p.m. EST in Las Vegas.
