Davante Adams won in his first game against the Green Bay Packers, helping the Las Vegas Raiders secure a 17-13 victory Monday night.
Adams, who was drafted by the club in 2014 and traded to Vegas in 2022, played through a right shoulder injury and managed four catches for 45 yards against his former team.
“It was good,” he said of beating Green Bay, via ESPN. “I wish I could have been able to send them off with a few more plays made, but at the end of the day, we beat them. Now nobody can make up this crazy narrative and talk about how I shouldn’t have left and all of this stuff that was getting ready to come if we didn’t win. So, glad to get that win over them today. We just want to beat everybody.”
While the Packers focused heavily on covering Adams, the star wide receiver didn’t have a standout game. However, he did contribute three crucial catches during the second-half touchdown drive, securing the victory for Vegas.
Adams generated the Raiders’ longest pass play of the game, a 21-yarder off a slant when he got lined up against Green Bay edge rusher Preston Smith. It was a play that reminded Packers coach Matt LaFleur of the type of mismatches Adams can provide an offense.
LaFleur remarked, “Indeed, during Davante’s time with us, this scenario was common: you’d position a receiver in the slot, and as a result, we’d have ‘penny’ or five bigs on the field. Often, the ‘backer would have to adjust, we’d be running quarters coverage, and that’s the outcome. Whether it’s right or wrong, it doesn’t usually work in our favor. We might need to reassess and change tactics when faced with such a situation. However, I must commend them – they devised a good strategy. They knew how to respond when we had that particular team on the field. I can recall instances when we used the same strategy against other teams.”
Sometimes that just happens, but obviously, we want to have better answers than that.
Adams pointed out that even though the Raiders won, their offense is not yet at the desired level. However, he noted that it’s preferable to resolve these issues following a victory rather than a defeat.
Adams mentioned that his shoulder is getting healthier.
“It’s not perfect, but it’s sufficient to manage,” stated Adams. “It’s an improvement from a week ago. I will be participating. However, it needs time to recover, but I will be present.”
