Devante Adams – Syndication Server

5 bets for the Raiders-Jaguars Hall of Fame game, because why else are you going to watch?

Yes, we know it’s the preseason. No, you can’t talk us out of this.

Ok, listen.

It’s been a very long offseason in the NFL. The draft feels like a distant memory and free agency may as well have taken place decades ago. But finally, FINALLY, we get real, live NFL football on Thursday night.

And while that anticipation will almost certainly not be met with thrilling action, watching toe meet leather on television for the first time all year is worth celebrating. Certainly it’s worth betting on.

We are not here to judge. We are not here to tell you to save your bankroll for Week 1. We know, in our hearts, if you are reading this, you’ve already committed to putting down some cash on Thursday’s action. You will find no shame here for we are with you. This is a safe place.

So let’s do what we’ve waited months on. Let’s bet on a (preseason) NFL game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders.

Here are the five bets we’ve got our eyes on.

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Eagles’ A.J. Brown makes a list of the top-10 NFL wide receivers of 2022

Philadelphia Eagles’ star pass catcher A.J. Brown makes a list of the top-10 NFL wide receivers of 2022

Philadelphia said all the right things about supporting quarterback Jalen Hurts and then took the steps to add a dynamic weapon after trading for his best friend, former Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown.

Brown brings versatility, toughness, and the ability to dominate man-to-man coverage to an Eagles offense looking for more downfield passing opportunities.

CBS Sports ranked the top-10 wideouts in the NFL for the 2022 season using past production, present value, and future outlook to determine the best of the best.

Brown landed at No. 10 on the list behind Keenan Allen (9) and Deebo Samuel (8).

The Seahawks’ DK Metcalf, the top alternative here, gets all kinds of love for his freakish combo of imposing size and speed, but Brown has a similar profile with just as, if not more, consistent production. Lingering injuries are something to monitor, and his numbers aren’t always gaudy, but he’s a bona fide alpha, creating plays with both his bulk, power, and explosiveness. He’s also set up to succeed as the Eagles’ new No. 1, working alongside ascending pass catchers like DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert.

Brown is coming off an injury-plagued 2021 season that saw the former Titans draft pick log 63 catches for 869 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns.

Rounding out the list were Mike Evans (7), Tyreek Hill (6), Stefon Diggs (5), Cooper Kupp (4), Ja’Marr Chase (3), Justin Jefferson (2), and the Raiders’ newest star, Davante Adams at No. 1 overall.

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Sammy Watkins feels his ‘back is against the wall’ in ninth season

Sammy Watkins is excited about another NFL opportunity but is feeling the pressure to produce at a high level on his third team in the past three years.

Former Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins is entering his ninth year in the NFL, and he believes he still has something to prove.

Signing a one-year deal with the Green Bay Packers in April, Watkins will play for his third team in the last three years after stints with the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens. After failing to reach over 500 receiving yards in the past two seasons, he feels pressure to return to being a consistent playmaker.

“I told the coach my back is against the wall,” Watkins said. “You know, my career hasn’t been what I projected to be, and it’s a great opportunity for me to come here, play hard, catch a ton of balls, compete at the highest level and win games.”

Watkins’ statement came after his newest quarterback Aaron Rodgers acknowledged the importance of having players on a roster that feel like they have something to prove.

“I facetimed him when he signed his contract,” Rodgers said. “I knew that he was somebody that we had targeted and we were interested in, and I was 100 percent on board with that. I think it’s important you get guys that have a lot to play for, and I think Sammy [Watkins] has the opportunity to continue and travel down a new path in his career that we can help him here.”

Watkins was the first receiver taken off of the board and the No. 4 overall selection in the 2014 draft. In his first two years in the league, he had 125 combined receptions for 2,029 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns. Since then, his most receiving yards in a season was 673 in 2019.

The Buffalo Bills drafted Watkins with high expectations, as he had one of the most dominant careers in Clemson history. In his three years as a Tiger, Watkins had 3,391 career receiving yards, a program record that still holds to this day. Now with the Packers, Watkins will have an opportunity to produce at that same high level alongside former Clemson wide receiver Amari Rodgers.

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How DeMeco Ryans and the San Francisco 49ers defended Davante Adams

The San Francisco 49ers defense under DeMeco Ryans was fantastic Saturday night. One piece to the puzzle is how they approached Davante Adams.

The San Francisco 49ers are headed to the NFC Championship game on the heels of a three-point win on the road against the Green Bay Packers. While their special teams units — and special teams coach Richard Hightower — are soaking in some well-deserved praise this morning, there is another coach also earning his share of plaudits.

Defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans.

The Packers finished the regular season with one of the best offenses in the league, ranking second in Football Outsiders’ Total Offense DVOA behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They also ranked second in Passing DVOA (again behind Tom Brady and the Buccaneers) and quarterback Aaron Rodgers is considered a top candidate for the league’s Most Valuable Player award.

But on Saturday night, the Green Bay offense was held largely in check. After a touchdown on their opening drive had many wondering if it would be an early switch to Netflix, Rodgers and the Packers did not see the end zone again, and managed just one more score, a Mason Crosby field goal in the fourth quarter. A Crosby field goal attempt was blocked prior to halftime, one of two huge special teams plays from the 49ers on the night.

In the coming days, much will be written about the job Ryans and the San Francisco defense did limiting the Packers to just ten points, but today let us focus on just one small part: How the 49ers accounted for Devante Adams. Rodgers targeted his favorite receiver 11 times in the game, and Adams caught nine passes Saturday night for 90 yards. But he was held out of the end zone along with the rest of the Green Bay offense.

How did Ryans and San Francisco look to contain Adams and take away Rodgers’ favorite target? Through a combination of coverage looks which either forced the quarterback to look elsewhere, or led to Rodgers pulling the football down and fighting for his life in the pocket.

WATCH: Packers’ Davante Adams says Week 12 loss to 49ers has ‘zero relevance’

Sunday’s NFC Championship pins the Packers (14-3) against the 49ers (14-3) in a rematch of a game that Green Bay lost 37-8 back in November.

This weekend, though, wide receiver Davante Adams says the green and gold have a much better plan for attacking San Francisco.

“Obviously, if we left the game with eight points (…) obviously the plan was not good enough (…) the execution obviously wasn’t good enough, too,” Adams said according to ESPN. “The plan, so far what I’ve seen, I really like, and I think it’s a better way to attack this defense.”

Adams caught the lone Packers touchdown in that game but was limited to 43 yards on seven receptions. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers was limited to a season-low 104 passing yards in that November game and he said earlier this week, “They’re obviously expected to hold court and win,” adding that the pressure on the Niners should keep Green Bay, “nice and loose.”

San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan expects this weekend to be as different as Adams is predicting.

“We know it’ll be different,” he said, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. “I think that game really holds zero relevance to what’s going to happen this Sunday.”

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Packers star WR Adams says Packers have ‘better way to attack 49ers,’ in NFC championship

Sunday’s NFC Championship pins the Packers (14-3) against the 49ers (14-3) in a rematch of a game that Green Bay lost 37-8 back in November.

Packers star WR Adams says Packers have ‘better way to attack 49ers,’ in NFC championship (Packerswi

Sunday’s NFC Championship pins the Packers (14-3) against the 49ers (14-3) in a rematch of a game that Green Bay lost 37-8 back in November.