The Packers host the Rams in the first Divisional Round game this weekend, with Davante Adams versus Jalen Ramsey one of the key matchups. Los Angeles allowed just 7 touchdowns to wide receivers this season, 3 fewer than any other team, while Adams scored 18 touchdowns, 3 more than any other wideout. Something has got to give.
Key to this defense is of course All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who shut down plenty of top wide receivers over the course of the season (and his career). But we also just saw DK Metcalf catch 2 TDs against the Rams. One was on a broken play where Russell Wilson seemed to be running it, and the other was deep in garbage-time (30-13 with 3 minutes left). But whatever, Metcalf proved it's possible.
His other two games against Ramsey, though, weren't as good. Here are the game-by-game numbers of No. 1 wideouts versus Ramsey this season, including last week. About a third of those guys scored. Only three of them put up more than 70 receiving yards.
| NO. 1 WIDE RECEIVERS VERSUS THE RAMS | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Tgt | No | Yds | TD |
| Cooper, Dall. | 14 | 10 | 81 | 0 |
| Jackson, Phil. | 9 | 6 | 64 | 0 |
| Diggs, Buff. | 6 | 4 | 49 | 1 |
| Slayton, NYG | 7 | 3 | 48 | 0 |
| McLaurin, Wash. | 7 | 3 | 26 | 0 |
| Samuel, S.F. | 6 | 6 | 66 | 1 |
| Robinson, Chi. | 4 | 4 | 70 | 0 |
| Parker, Mia. | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Metcalf, Sea. | 4 | 2 | 28 | 0 |
| Evans, T.B. | 9 | 5 | 49 | 1 |
| Samuel, S.F. | 13 | 11 | 133 | 0 |
| Hopkins, Ariz. | 13 | 8 | 52 | 1 |
| Meyers, N.E. | 5 | 4 | 47 | 0 |
| Crowder, NYJ | 8 | 6 | 66 | 0 |
| Metcalf, Sea. | 8 | 6 | 59 | 0 |
| Hopkins, Ariz. | 10 | 4 | 35 | 0 |
| Metcalf, Sea. | 11 | 5 | 96 | 2 |
| Average | 8 | 5 | 57 | 0.4 |
Some notes on this table. Ramsey wasn't necessarily covering these players at all times. Maybe not at all, in some cases, on teams with multiple No. 1 type wideouts (Tampa Bay) or none (Patriots, Jets). Many of these wide receivers aren't nearly as good as Adams, and few of them have a quarterback that can touch Aaron Rodgers, especially with the level he's playing at this season. Ramsey also missed a large chunk of the best game by an opponent, when Deebo Samuel went for 133 yards.
I have Adams in a couple of playoff leagues, and I'll be starting him this week, but it's definitely a matchup where he might be outperformed by a couple of other wide receivers -- Tyreek Hill, as a for instance, and maybe someone in the New Orleans-Tampa Bay game, as well.
--Andy Richardson
6 Reader Comments:
Paul Desimone
But another key is the loss of Bakhtiari. Aaron Donald's not just a DT who lines up in the middle every down. He moves around, and I'm guessing he'll have Billy Turner's and Jared Veldheer's addresses. Not sure that Rodgers will fare any better than Wilson did in scramble mode. I'll leave it to you and Ian to rank these guys, but I'd temper my expectations personally.
Drew Paterson
David Kennedy
David Kennedy
Andy Richardson
Bob Gum