You Don't Often See A Receiver Dunk On Jalen Ramsey Twice In One Half, But Davante Adams Is Just Different That Way
I think incorporating some basketball lingo into this blog's headline is apropos for Davante Adams. The way he manufacture free releases off the line with his footwork alone is the type of stuff you see on the hardwood. That unorthodox approach, pure route-running and ball skills combined to give Rams star cornerback Jalen Ramsey an absolute fit in the opening half of Thursday Night Football.
That first catch of Adams' night was like LeBron crashing the lane and a hapless defender doing all he could to force two free throws. Instead, Adams battled through a held arm, Ramsey straight-up facemasking him and proved he only needed one hand to haul in Derek Carr's downfield heave.
Then came a classic case of late hands to put the Raiders in the red zone with around a minute remaining. Unfortunately, Carr got bumped before he threw a would-be jump ball to Mack Hollins and got intercepted to keep Las Vegas' lead at only 13-3 at the break. But holy hell, did Adams make the absolute most of his first two targets.
Despite the historically atrocious job the Rams are doing at defending their Super Bowl title, Ramsey is still having an excellent individual season, ranking fourth in PFF's grades among qualifying cornerbacks. Sometimes you just have to tip your cap and recognize the old adage that typically ties to hoops: Great offense beats great defense.
Now excuse me while I have traumatic flashbacks of Ramsey falling over on the Bengals' final play in that Super Bowl, only for Joe Burrow to get hit before he could hit Ja'Marr Chase for the Lombardi Trophy-winning TD. At least Adams' first catch kinda reminded me of this beaut: