Packers wide receiver Davante Adams didn’t have his best night against the stingy 49ers pass defense. He had seven catches for 43 yards and a touchdown in one of his least productive games of the year.
Part of the reason for his lack of production was veteran cornerback Richard Sherman. The All-Pro corner allowed one catch for seven yards on two targets in 16 coverage snaps vs. Adams according to ESPN’s Next Gen Stats.
Richard Sherman lined-up against Davante Adams on 16 of his 35 routes (46%), limiting Adams to 1 reception for 7 yards (2 targets).
Adams gained most of his yards (29 of 43) against non-DBs in coverage.#GBvsSF | #GoNiners pic.twitter.com/lJGjiSJ6Pq
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) November 25, 2019
There was a lot of concern that the 31-year-old might start seeing a dip in productivity as he entered his 30s coming off a torn Achilles. His second year back from that Achilles injury has been even better than the first, and the four-time Pro Bowler is again playing at an elite level.
Sherman was flagged for a pair of fairly soft penalties on the Packers’ scoring drive, but was flawless other than that Sunday night.
Aaron Rodgers is the type of quarterback who’ll take advantage of mistakes, and Adams is the kind of receiver who will turn a mistake into a big play. Sherman didn’t allow either player to get loose Sunday night while the 49ers defense as a whole gave up just 104 yards through the air.
San Francisco’s secondary benefits plenty from their pass rush, but showings like Sherman put together against Adams are evidence that the coverage on the back end has been just as good as the rush up front.