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The Los Angeles Rams have sorely missed former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams, but he is apparently getting well soon enough.
Adams, who injured his hamstring running a route in a 41-34 playoff-clinching game against the Detroit Lions, Dec. 14, is expected to play Saturday, Jan. 10 when the fifth-seeded Rams visit the fourth-seeded Carolina Panthers in the NFC playoffs.
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The sudden absence of Adams came at quite an inopportune time for the Rams, who held the No. 1 postseason spot in the conference with three games to play. However, without Adams, the Rams lost two of those remaining contests including a 38-37 nail-biter to NFC West champion Seattle and fell to the first wild-card position.
Though his 789 yards on 60 catches was his lowest yardage total of any year he's played since 2015 (his second season with the Packers), Adams led all NFL receivers with 14 touchdowns in 14 games. He was back practicing in full for the first time Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 6.
Head coach Sean McVay told reporters after Rams practice that Adams probably could have played in Week 18 but the Rams wanted to give him more time to rest.
McVay said the Rams "erred on the side of caution" with Adams' timetable, and that it "pissed him off pretty good because of the competitor that he is.
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"But he's got that look in his eye that I know he's ready to go," McVay added. "And man, you just feel better when you see No. 17 out there on our offense, and it poses a lot of different challenges for people to have to defend when you put that freaking stud back out on the grass for us."
Adams and the Rams are actually looking to avenge a loss to Carolina earlier this season. In that game, Adams had four catches for 58 yards and two touchdowns.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford surely is pleased to have Adams back as he may have the best pair of receivers in the postseason bracket. Puka Nacua caught 129 passes for 1,715 yards and 10 touchdowns. Nacua led the NFL in receptions and finished second in yardage.
With Adams back at full strength Saturday, the Rams appear to be the most dangerous wild-card team in the NFC field. He's the first player to lead the NFL in touchdowns with three different teams.
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The former Packers' star has certainly been a true veteran weapon for Stafford as the No. 2 option behind Nacua in the Rams' potent offense. This is Adams' first trip back to the playoffs since leaving the Packers.
After spending eight years in Green Bay where he caught more than 100 passes three times, Adams was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders and signed a five-year, $141.5 million contract. Though he averaged 101.5 catches in his first two seasons in Las Vegas, the team struggled and he was traded to the New York Jets to reunite with Aaron Rodgers in the middle of the 2024 season.
He did have 85 catches for 1,063 yards and eight touchdowns between the two teams, but the the Jets released Adams after also parting ways with Rodgers. The Palo Alto, California native signed a two-year, $46 million deal with the Rams to replace Cooper Kupp.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Is Davante Adams playing vs Panthers? Injury update for Rams WR
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