NASHVILLE, TENN. – Rams wide receiver Davante Adams surpassed 12,000 career receiving yards in exactly the way you'd expect: He beat his man off the line with a nasty release.
It was a third down inside the red zone with just under 10 minutes remaining. Adams ran a "stutter-ish" go route against single man coverage from cornerback L'Jarius Sneed, who traveled with him throughout the day.
Adams separated from Sneed off the hesitation and then put on a burst of speed into the end zone where he caught his first touchdown as a Ram from quarterback Matthew Stafford. They brought a cover-zero blitz, so Stafford hung in the pocket as long as possible to deliver a perfect ball, trusting that Adams would get vertical leverage, as he so often does.
"Feel good about (reaching 12,000 career receiving yards), definitely. It's been a long career, so it's good. Anytime you can be mentioned with under 100 people is just period, let alone almost top 30 in yards," Adams said postgame. "Like, that's something that means a lot to me, and I know it means a lot to my teammates as well because it means I'm out there grinding, trying to do what I can do to help us win."
The Rams seemed to make a concerted effort to get their new superstar receiver more involved with a team-high 13 targets. He caught six of those for 106 yards and a touchdown in a Week 2 road win over the Titans, 33-19. It featured some truly remarkable catches and routes from the veteran, but also left some room for growth.
On the second play out of halftime, Adams showcased his spectacular ball skills. Stafford stepped up in the pocket and threw a low pass to Adams running across the middle, and the veteran left his feet to scoop the ball up just inches above the grass for a 19-yard gain. It was similar to a catch he made last week in the season opener against Houston, which left wide receiver Puka Nacua with a feeling of deja vu, he said.
Later on that drive, Stafford hit Adams again on a corner route near the sideline. He shook Sneed early in the route, despite the corner being called for holding on the play, and got L.A. into the red zone.
Not only is Adams quick off the line and sure-handed, but his physicality makes it tough to cover him down the field as well.
"His body control and his understanding of, when the ball's in the air, how (he) can go grab it, and also just protect himself (is great)," Nacua said. "... The way (he) land(s) on the ground, there is a graceful art to it, and he definitely has established that."
His longest play of the day resulted from a classic Rams passing concept, especially against zone coverage, the deep curl. On their third offensive drive of the game, Stafford hit Adams between the zones over the middle, who then sprinted through a hole in the defense for a gain of 33 yards.
Despite his big day, Adams' chemistry with Stafford still has room to improve, especially in the red zone. They couldn't connect on multiple end zone targets early on, including one where Stafford dropped the snap "like an amateur," he said with a laugh. But they found pay dirt in the fourth, when Adams broke that historic threshold, one that only 31 other players have ever reached.
Head coach Sean McVay said those mishaps will present learning opportunities. So when those two get on the same page consistently, L.A.'s offensive ceiling will know no bounds.
"(McVay) was trying to get me in that end zone, for sure," Adams said with a smile. "So it was good to finally punch it in."
