Davante Adams‘ injury, not the Raiders‘ offensive scheme, was the reason behind Adams’ lack of targets during Las Vegas’ 17-13 win over Adams’ former team on Monday night.
Adams explained the reasoning behind his lack of targets before he caught three passes on the Raiders’ game-winning drive that culminated with Josh Jacobs‘ short touchdown run to open the fourth quarter. Adams caught just one pass during the game’s first 42 minutes and finished the night with four catches (on four targets) for 45 yards.
“Well, I mean, the way the game goes sometimes,” Adams told ESPN afterwords. “I’m a little banged up, dealing with a shoulder that was kind of, had me in a little pain out there. It’s just how goes. At the end of the day, it’s about winning. We got the dub today. I could have had 22 yards, zero yards, whatever it is. It’s just good to get the dub.”
While it may not have been the intended plan, Adams was largely a decoy during the game’s first three quarters. With the Packers‘ defense keying in on him, teammate Jakobi Meyers took advantage of the extra space and gave Las Vegas its first lead with a nine-yard touchdown catch in the first half.
The Raiders’ win was largely fueled by a solid defensive effort that included three interceptions of Packers quarterback Jordan Love that included Amik Robertson’s pick in the game’s final minute.
Adams’ quiet night came after his recent comments regarding the Raiders’ lack of success during his brief time there. While he didn’t say that he regrets his decision to join the Raiders last offseason, Adams is clearly frustrated by the Raiders’ lack of wins over that span.
“I didn’t really have any expectations,” Adams said when discussing his move to Las Vegas. “But (this is) not what I wanted, for sure. Obviously, I wanted to come here and have a big impact, continue to play at a high level and win games. And a lot of those things have happened — just not the winning part. But I’ve just got to continue to do more and keep demanding greatness and consistency for my teammates. … It’s a gamble sometimes (changing teams). You never really know.
“What’s most important to me is going to the Super Bowl,” he continued. “I (went) to four NFC championship games in Green Bay in eight years. So I’ve won a lot of games in the regular season. I’ve got a lot of stats. What I haven’t done is check that box of winning the Super Bowl. I’m trying to create something special here. I can only do so much on my individual end. … You don’t fluke into the Super Bowl; you do it a certain way to win the Super Bowl.”
Adams’ lack of targets after making those comments conjure up memories of Al Davis’ famous benching of Marcus Allen three-plus decades earlier. Adams, however, made it clear that his quiet night was simply a byproduct of his injury.
