Monday Night Football is upon us, Raider Nation. One of the premier players in tonight’s matchup will be Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams. To say that the Kansas City Chiefs will be focusing on Adams is an understatement. It’s not a knock on Darren Waller, Mack Hollins, or Hunter Renfrow, but Adams is one of the NFL’s best and commands that level of attention. In the interest of today’s clash, we decided to take a look at how Adams has historically done against the Chiefs for some context.
Raiders vs. Chiefs: Davante Adams vs. K.C.
Prior to tonight’s showdown, Adams had only faced the Kansas City Chiefs twice over his nine-year career. As a Las Vegas Raider, Adams will be facing the Chiefs twice a year moving forward. Let’s analyze Adams’ performance in those two contests.
Adams’s first encounter with the Chiefs came in his second NFL season in 2015. This was before Adams became the primary receiver for the Green Bay Packers. He was targeted twice and gained 0 yards as the Packers defeated the Chiefs 38–28.
How did he do in his second encounter?
Things transpired differently in the Adams versus the Chiefs rematch. Due to an injury, Jordan Love started the game in place of Aaron Rodgers. This contest devolved into a traditional defensive brawl. Adams finished the game with six catches for 42 yards as the Packers fell 13-7.
Adams has a 1-1 record versus the Chiefs in their two encounters. Historically, Adams is averaging 21 yards per game versus the Chiefs, which makes his statistics appear unimpressive, but the overall picture is revealed by the context. In their first game, Adams was a second-year receiver, and Rodgers sat out the season due to injury. Clearly, things are different now, heading into his third shot at Andy Reid’s squad.
This series’ tiebreaker will be decided on Monday Night Football. Adams goes up against a Chiefs pass defense that is rated 30th in pass completions allowed and 28th in allowed pass touchdowns allowed, after just posting his second 100-yard performance of the year. Adams’ chances of playing well are looking excellent, but will that be enough to help the Raiders defeat the Chiefs?
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*Top Photo: Official Raiders Website