NFC wild-card predictions: Who advances and who goes home
USA TODAY Sports Chris Bumbaca and Joe Rivera share who they think will make it out of the NFC Wild Card round.
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LOS ANGELES — Catching touchdown passes is an art. Davante Adams knows a lot about the skillset.
Adams led the NFL with 14 touchdown receptions during the regular season despite missing three games. He also led the league in touchdown grabs in 2020 and 2022. The 12-year veteran is the first player in NFL history to lead the NFL in touchdown receptions with three different teams.
Adams explained the art of being perhaps the best red zone wide receiver in the NFL.
“I think one of the main things is obviously my ability to separate, so being able to be sudden down there, it’s a tight area. If you’re a receiver that’s based on making contested catches a lot, there’s a place for that. But there’s also a place for somebody that can create separation quickly and find windows (and) understand the spacing. A lot of it is understanding how to communicate with the quarterback and knowing what he sees (and) being able to react,” Adams explained Tuesday. “It’s a lot of little small nuances that help you to be able to get just that one more, a little bit of extra foot of separation.”
Adams has 117 receiving touchdowns in his career, which tops all active players. His career receiving touchdown mark ranks seventh in NFL history, sandwiched between Hall of Famers Larry Fitzgerald (121) and Antonio Gates (116).
“To lead the league in touchdowns and miss the last handful of games. What a tremendous tribute to him, and to do it with three different teams,” Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay said of Adams. “You start doing things like that, that tells you he’s in rarefied air, and that’s who he is.”
Adams has been everything the Rams have hoped for since the team signed him during free agency in March. He missed the final three games of the regular season due to a hamstring injury. He’s slated to return for Saturday’s wild-card playoff matchup against the Carolina Panthers.
Adams caught two touchdowns in the Rams’ Week 13 loss to Carolina. We’ll see if he scores any touchdowns this Saturday, and if it yields a different result. But the Rams are happy to have their veteran wideout back in the fold as they enter the postseason.
“He’s definitely been a big part of our offense, and it was awesome signing him this offseason. He’s a great guy. I feel like he brings a new level of swagger,” Rams guard Steve Avila told USA TODAY Sports. “When he’s in it’s fun playing with him. I feel like he opens up a lot more things for us. When you lead the league in touchdowns people are going to start respecting that, so it’ll be good to have him back.”
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