Ever since his awful Week 8 game against the New Orleans Saints, Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams has been absolutely dominant for the team. Over the last five games, Adams has totaled 41 catches for 664 yards and seven
touchdowns as the Raiders have finally begun to turn things around.
This past Sunday, Adams capped that stretch with his best performance of the season, finishing with 8 catches for 177 yards and two touchdowns in the Raiders’ 27-20 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. That victory brought the Raiders’ record to 5-7, and they are now within striking distance of a playoff spot that seemed all but impossible just a couple of weeks ago.
Adams has obviously been a big part of that, and while the stats do mean something to the Raiders star, he made it clear that he wants the ball in order to help the team win, via Tashan Reed of The Athletic:
“Stats mean a lot to me in the sense that it means that I’m holding up my end of the bargain and I’m doing what I got to do,” Adams said. “The efficiency part is a big part of it, too, so we got to make sure we’re being as efficient as possible and let the stats and all of that take care of itself down the road. Ultimately, I want to get the ball so I can put the team in a position to win games.”
Adams now has 79 catches for 1,176 yards and 12 touchdowns on the season, with the touchdowns tying for the league lead with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, while the yardage ranks fourth behind only Tyreek Hill, Justin Jefferson, and Stefon Diggs.
The Raiders gave up their first and second-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft in order to bring Adams to the silver and black, and he has proven to be worth every last penny. The Raiders have been without their other two Pro Bowl pass catchers in, Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller, for much of the season, allowing defenses to key in on him even more, but it simply hasn’t mattered at all.
The goal for Adams, as always, is to win, and his performances are helping the Raiders do exactly that. With he and running back Josh Jacobs powering the offense, things are looking up for the Raiders and the team’s best chance at winning is to continue to run things through those two.
