Packers: Put Davante Adams in the slot
Green Bay receiver Davante Adams played just 12 games in the 2019 regular season, missing four with a toe injury. And still, he led his team in targets by a crushing margin with 127 — running back Aaron Jones finished second with 68. Adams continued that in the postseason, catching eight passes on 11 targets for 160 yards and two touchdowns against Seattle’s misshapen pass defense in the divisional round. But in Green Bay’s 37-8 “burn the tape” loss to the 49ers in Week 12, Adams was limited to seven catches on 12 targets for 43 yards and the Packers’ only touchdown of the day.
The plan then, as it surely will be on Sunday, is to line Adams up away from Richard Sherman, who plays nearly always on the left defensive side of the field and doesn’t generally travel with top receivers. Still, Adams was shut out on two Aaron Rodgers attempts of 20 yards or more, and his longest reception was for 14 yards. As long as San Francisco’s other cornerbacks could establish inside position on deep boundary routes… well, even cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, who has been benched for poor performance more often than not of late, could make hay while the sun shone.
Add in the 49ers’ ability to create consistent and furious pressure on Rodgers, and Green Bay’s offense has a major problem. One way to alleviate this issue might be to put Adams in the slot, where he’s led the team in the regular and postseason with 34 catches on 43 targets for 317 yards and four touchdowns. Adams was limited to 22 yards on four slot receptions and five targets against the 49ers last time around, but I would argue that this was as much an example of indifferent utilization as anything else. Using Adams in the slot to gain a couple yards on quick slants and comebacks against a hyper-aggressive coverage unit isn’t the best way to benefit from Adams’ route-running abilities, especially downfield.
One of Adams’ most devastating routes is the fake post or slant to the corner or fade, and he absolutely blew up the Lions with this look from the right slot in Week 17 on this 20-yard touchdown.
And then, Adams vaporized Seahawks cornerback Tre Flowers on a similar design in the divisional round on this 40-yard score. Motion to the slot, reveal coverage, and burn any non-Richard Sherman cornerback in your approximate vicinity.
The 49ers are a heavy Cover-3 and Cover-4 team; they will present openings in coverage. If the Packers hope to win, head coach Matt LaFleur must design instances in which Adams can exploit those openings as much as possible.
Of course, if Rodgers isn’t upright, he can’t throw the ball to Adams or anybody else. The 49ers definitely have a plan for that.