Packers Offense Will Be in Grave Danger if Davante Adams Misses Significant Time
By Sean Facey
Coming into the season, there were high expectations for the Green Bay Packers' offense. With Matt LaFleur now calling the shots, it seemed inevitable that Aaron Rodgers and his teammates would reach their full potential as an offensive juggernaut in the NFL.
But through the first four weeks of the season, they've underwhelmed massively, and things could get a whole lot worse.
Star wide receiver Davante Adams, who logged 180 receiving yards against the Philadelphia Eagles in only a fraction of the desired gameplay, had to leave Thursday's game early due to turf toe. If he misses a significant amount of time, points will be hard to come by for the Packers.
Davante Adams registered a career-high 180 receiving yards off 10 catches prior to exiting the game late with a toe injury.#PHIvsGB Game Notes ? https://t.co/3ppxKNsqs7
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) September 27, 2019
It's still unclear just how much time he could miss, but it's no secret that any time away would hurt the team. Adams is undoubtedly Rodgers' top target nowadays, especially in the red zone. Every year from 2016 to 2018, he's managed at least 117 receptions and 10 touchdowns. He's the staple of the Packers' receiving game.
From @gmfb: #Packers WR Davante Adams is getting his foot checked out after suffering turf toe last night, the biggest injury on a rough night. pic.twitter.com/sWzXuSohzF
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 27, 2019
Without him, scoring is going to be much more difficult. Not only will he not be out there for Rodgers to throw to, but he also won't be drawing coverage and freeing up his teammates. An extended absence could be disastrous for an already uninspired offense (did you see what happened at the goal line when Adams disappeared?).
Though the Packers have gotten off to a strong 3-1 start, they're averaging just 21.3 points per game, good for 19th in the NFL. They more closely resemble middling teams like the Giants and Cardinals than top-flite contenders like the Patriots, Chiefs and Cowboys, and that's with Adams on the field. Of course, this is also to say nothing of the fact that their vaunted "defense" is clearly half a unit; there was zero run defense at any point Thursday night.
The end of the packers game shows just how important Davante Adams is to this #Packers offense.
— Brennen Scarborough (@bpscarborough) September 27, 2019
It's easy to imagine how much worse things could get without him. Their holes on offensive would easily be exposed if he missed even just a couple of weeks.
The Packers had better hope that he's healthy enough to suit up as soon as possible. He's arguably just as important to that offense as Rodgers is.