Packers: Dominant Davante Adams on pace for big season

After another spectacular performance on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams is off to a great start this season. Which begs the question, should Adams be in the discussion as one of the game’s top receivers?

Since the Packers parted ways with Jordy Nelson this past offseason, we knew that Davante Adams would be thrust into the number one wide receiver roll in Green Bay, and he has embraced that opportunity the entire time.

In an interview back in August with Rob Demovsky of ESPN, Adams talked about how he wanted to be considered a top five wide receiver in the NFL.

And with the season he’s put together thus far, Adams is well on his way to being a part of the discussion.

Adams’ last two games

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has talked a lot in recent weeks about getting the ball into the hands of his playmakers, and the Green Bay offense has done just that with Adams. Especially with the absences of Randall Cobb and Geronimo Allison these past weeks, Adams has become even more crucial to this offense’s success.

After the Packers’ come-from-behind victory against the Niners, Aaron Rodgers and Mason Crosby received a lot of the praise, and it was well deserved. But it was Davante Adams who made a number of big plays throughout the game and in the final minutes, that helped put Green Bay in position to win.

Against the Niners, Adams recorded 10 receptions for 132 yards and two touchdowns. The previous week in Detroit, Adams had nine catches totaling 140 yards and one touchdown.

That is a ridiculous 19 catches for 272 yards and three touchdowns in just two weeks of work. The Rodgers-to-Adams duo is carving up defenses.

Early struggles

The Davante Adams that we are all mesmerized by today is not the same one that we saw during his first two seasons in the NFL.

In his rookie year of 2014 and sophomore season of 2015, Adams had issues with catching the ball. He began to lose the confidence of quarterback Aaron Rodgers and saw less targets coming his way, while many of the fans wanted Adams benched.

During 2014, Davante caught just 57.6 percent of the passes thrown his way and in 2015 his catch percentage dropped to just 53.2 percent.

However, Adams saw his production jump in 2016 and has come a long way since his first two seasons in the league. He is now Rodgers’ most trusted target.

2018 season

Through six games, Adams is on pace to set career marks in a number of statistical categories and is amongst the league leaders in a number of areas as well.

Adams has hauled in 47 receptions (third most in the NFL) and has caught 66.2 percent of passes thrown his way. He has also tallied 557 receiving yards (sixth), caught six touchdown passes (T1), and averages 92.8 yards per game (ninth).

As an offensive unit the Packers have struggled in the red zone this season, but Adams has been Rodgers’ go-to target inside the 20-yard line and very consistent for Green Bay in that part of the field.

Adams has seven receptions totaling 66 yards and is averaging 9.4 yards per catch. He has also recorded all six of his touchdowns this season when the Packers are in the red zone.

Regardless of where Green Bay is on the field, what the situation is, or whoever is guarding him, Adams is a threat to opposing defenses.

Coming into the season, Adams wanted to be considered one of the top wide receivers in the league. With Rodgers at quarterback and Adams’ skill set, there are no limits to what Adams can accomplish.