To finish off a wild week in the NFL, the Green Bay Packers will face the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football. While the Packers’ main goal is to go to 3-2, one of the most anticipated components of this game is seeing former All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams for the first time since he was traded to the Raiders.
Various interviews over the last week have revealed a great lot of affection between Adams and the Packers. While many felt Adams despised Brian Gutekunst and the front office, one of his recent interviews revealed a very different reality.
Aaron Jones, the Packers’ standout running back, told the Green Bay media last week that Adams is still his big brother.
When spea
king to the Las Vegas reporters, Adams had some really kind things to say about Jones.
Davante Adams Applauds Green Bay Packers Running Back Aaron Jones
Adams and Jones were Packers teammates for five years, during which time they established themselves as one of the top running back-wide receiver tandems in the league. They combined for almost 10,000 yards of offence and over 100 touchdowns.
Adams was asked about Jones by the Las Vegas reporters late last week, and he spoke highly of his former teammate:
“Yeah, he’s a one-of-a-kind runner.” A very explosive player, and I’ve never seen someone play as vertically as he does. It’s not much breaking down, and I think it’s a really unusual approach to play that position because when guys are rushing out of nowhere and you’re running through the smoke, you might easily get struck.
“He’s not AJ Dillon size, so I think people aren’t prepared for him going through the hole.” As I previously stated, it’s simply so downhill and so vertical that he doesn’t really allow anyone time to strategize. When you combine a really slippery player with incredibly strong vision, you get a pretty large problem.”
Of course, Adams is correct; when Jones is healthy and head coach Matt LaFleur calls plays for him, the Packers offence is impossible to stop.
The Green Bay Packers’ success depends on feeding Aaron Jones.
Jones had 11 touches (nine rushes and two receptions) for 127 yards and two touchdowns in the Packers’ Week One victory over the Chicago Bears. Jones had only six touches and gained 14 yards total offence in the Packers’ loss at home to the Lions on Thursday.
Of course, Jones was on a pitch count last week due to a hamstring ailment, and the offensive line was unable to block anyone. However, Jones’ lack of touches continues to demonstrate a trend: when he does not get the ball frequently, Green Bay is likely to lose.
Last season, the Packers went 3-1 when Jones received at least 15 touches. Because he appeared in all 17 games last season, they were 5-8 when he earned fewer than 15 touches.
The fact of the matter is that Jones is a true gamechanger and the Packers’ offense’s most consistent big-play threat. As much as supporters would like to see Jordan Love connect on more long balls with Christian Watson, feeding their star rushing back is a more certain path to more wins.
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