By Eric Goska
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| Davante Adams hauls in his 10th reception, a 59-yarder, against the Bengals in Cincinnati. (screenshot from NFL Game Pass) |
Davante Adams travels well.
It’s too bad some of his teammates can’t say the say same or
Green Bay may not have needed an extra period to shake the pesky Bengals.
Adams, the Packers supremely talented wide receiver, ranks
among the best ever at staging mega-catch efforts on the road. His trip to
bountiful Sunday helped propel Green Bay past Cincinnati 25-22 in overtime at
Paul Brown Stadium.
Adams snagged 11 passes for 206 yards and a touchdown in the nail-biter. All but one of his receptions came on scoring drives.
The lone exception was a 20-yarder that set up a potential game-winning 51-yard field goal that Mason Crosby sent wide left as regulation ended. It was one of three attempts that Crosby botched in the fourth quarter or overtime.
Rewind to 2014 and it’s doubtful anyone envisioned how indispensable
Adams would become. Selected 53rd overall that
year out of Fresno State, the wideout ranks third behind Donald Driver (743)
and Sterling Sharpe (595) in Green Bay history with 588 catches for 7,147 yards
and 64 touchdowns.
More than half of that haul has come on the road. Away from
Lambeau Field, Adams has caught 329 passes for 3,984 yards and 34 touchdowns.
Driver (380 catches) is the only Packer to have caught more passes
on the road.
Adams excels at catching passes in bunches. His effort
against the Bengals was the 16th time he has come away with 10 or more receptions
in a single game.
Ten of those performances have come on the road which places
him among select company. The only other players to have matched or exceeded
that feat in NFL history are Julio Jones (11), Jerry Rice (10) and Andre
Johnson (10).
Adams’ first career 10-plus road effort came in Atlanta in
2016. There he led all receivers with 12 catches as Green Bay stumbled 33-32.
In the time since, the Packers have been nearly unbeatable
when No. 17 comes up that big. Their only other loss was a 27-24 setback in
Seattle in 2018 where Adams came away with 10 for 166.
The team has won its last seven road games when Adams
latches on to 10 or more passes.
In Cincinnati, Adams stretched the field. He had five
catches of 20 or more yards, a career high and the most by a Packers receiver
since James Lofton had five on Nov. 27, 1983 in Atlanta.
In Cincinnati, Adams moved the chains. He secured nine first
downs, one away from his personal best of 10 that he notched in a 35-20 win in
Houston last season.
Adams got to 10 early in the fourth quarter on a deep throw
in which he beat safety Jessie Bates III down the field. Rodgers hit him in stride, and the 59-yard
gain set up a 22-yard Crosby field goal that put Green Bay ahead 22-14.
Adams’ big road outing is his second in a row. He grabbed 12
passes for 132 yards and a score in Green Bay’s 30-28 win over the 49ers in
Santa Clara on Sept. 26.
That’s back-to-back road games with 10 or more receptions.
Only Adams (in 2020) and Don Hutson (in 1942) have accomplished that feat in Packers
history.
Boosted by these massive hauls, Adams has 42 receptions
through five games. It’s the fastest start ever by a Packer, or five more than
Adams (37) had in 2018 when he established the previous best opening to a
season.
NFL players with the most regular-season road games in which they caught 10 or more passes.
11 Julio Jones 5-6 2011-2021
10 Jerry Rice 5-5 1985-2004
10 Andre Johnson 4-6 2003-2016
10 Davante Adams 8-2 2014-2021
9 Wes Welker 6-3 2004-2015
9 Calvin Johnson 2-7 2007-2015
9 Tony Gonzalez 2-7 1997-2013
9 Antonio Brown 5-4 2010-2021
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