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