The hot takes on Davante Adams‘ move to Sin City and out of the cheese-head tundra of Green Bay, Wisconsin, were plentiful. From his fear of a potentially retiring Aaron Rodgers compelling him to leave for the Las Vegas Raiders to his desire to reunite with his old college teammate Derek Carr, Adams’ decision was dissected from every angle except the one rooted in his performance.
However, that’s what Week 1s are for, and when you juxtapose Davante Adams and the Las Vegas Raiders against Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers, it is clear Adams knew what he was doing.
10 catches, 141 yards, and one touchdown ball @tae15adams gets to take home with him.#Raiders pic.twitter.com/iI5ZibPpsm
— Levi Edwards (@theleviedwards) September 12, 2022
The Raiders offered Adams a five-year, $141.25 million contract with the expectation that he would play like a top-five receiver for most of that deal. On Sunday, he began to live up to the hype. During his Raiders debut against the Los Angeles Chargers, Adams caught ten passes for 141 yards and one touchdown. He produced a highlight-level performance at SoFi Stadium, making defensive backs look slow as his well-placed routes dazzled and signaled his entrance to the Raiders.
From the start, Adams and his California State University, Fresno teammate Derek Carr bombed the Chargers’ secondary, connecting for 11 yards on their first play of the game. Now Adams leads the team in receiving yards (64) and catches (five) going into the second half. However, the bigger stat is that Adams recorded more receiving yards in Week 1, with 141, than all of the Packers’ wide receivers combined, with 95.
IT HAPPENED‼️@derekcarrqb ➡️ @tae15adams for the touchdown!
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/boU8hJRTpo
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) September 11, 2022
Although the Raiders lost the game 24-19, Adams’s play set the tone for why he has been deemed an invaluable commodity to the Raiders.
For Green Bay, Week 1 was more of an overall disaster and exposed how important Adams was, a balance to the Superman narrative Rodgers embodies for the team.
Falling to 0-1 also to start the season, Rodgers and the Packers fell 23-7 to the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North showdown. Minus one of his weapons, wide receiver Allen Lazard out with an ankle injury, Rodgers was without his poker face, showing his frustration on the green and the sidelines prominently throughout Sunday’s game.
In the first quarter rookie receiver Christian Watson, one of the players Green Bay drafted to help replace Adams, beat the coverage deep and had what looked like an easy touchdown in front of him. However, he dropped Rodgers’ pass.
Rodgers finished 22 of 34 for 195 yards, zero touchdowns, and one interception with a passer rating of 67.6. Backup quarterback Jordan Love played the final minute for the Packers, trailing by 16 points.
Aaron Rodgers with Davante Adams vs Aaron Rodgers now pic.twitter.com/Vnw7Aovmvr
— Josiah Johnson (@KingJosiah54) September 11, 2022
In reality, Week 1 does not define a season, as last season shows. The Green Bay Packers lost 38-3 in the season opener against the New Orleans Saints, then won the NFC North, becoming the No. 1 seed in the conference.
However, when the narrative is spun about Davante Adams being shortsighted for leaving Aaron Rodgers and the cocoon of his bankable arm, Week 1 has also shown that it was a mutually beneficial relationship. Rodgers’ greatness in part flourished with Adams on the other end. Whether Green Bay or the Raiders, anybody can get it.
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