Davante Adams goes nuclear in Week 2 trouncing

Adams had a non-contact injury at the end of Week 6’s loss to the Cardinals and unfortunately is as serious as it appeared. He’ll likely be placed on injured reserve ahead of Week 7. His absence will further focus targets on Puka Nacua and likely elevate Konata Mumpfield into a bigger role. Adams had put together a 30/480/4 line in his first six games of the season. Adams will reportedly have surgery to “clean” out the tendon, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, in hopes he can return around the team’s bye week, which is scheduled for Week 11. It’s a major blow for a Rams team that is already reeling at 2-4.

Adams appeared to injure his left knee while running a route in the red zone on the Rams’ final possession. He cut, turned upfield and quickly began limping his way to the back of the end zone, removing himself from the play while grabbing at the inside of his left knee. He subbed himself out after that. No word on his status, but we expect an update soon. Prior to that, the Cardinals’ pass rush made life tough on the Rams’ passing attack. Adams caught his first pass a minute and a half into the second quarter. Stafford was looking his way in the end zone later on the same drive, but Josh Sweat got to him for the strip-sack. Adams banked 16-yard receptions on the sixth and seventh drives, impressively getting wide open via a downfield out route on the second one. If Adams escaped with a minor injury, he would be a WR2 against the Raiders next week.

Adams cashed in on a corner fade from four yards out in the second quarter and ran a beautiful route on a double move slant from five yards out for his second score in the fourth quarter, proving that he remains an elite red zone weapon for an offense that has now attempted 51 or more passes in three straight games. Adams is back to modest target rates following the Week 4 return of Puka Nacua but remains a weekly WR2 due to his red zone acumen, which remains true ahead of a much more forgiving matchup against the Cardinals in Week 6.

Adams was the victim of a bad Matthew Stafford ball or two in rainy Philadelphia conditions, but he sadly immediately reverted to clear No. 2 wideout status with Puka Nacua back in the lineup. Nacua went off for 9/125. Adams now has seven catches for 58 scoreless yards in two games with Nacua in the lineup compared to 15/332/2 in two games without. Hopefully that trend normalizes a bit for a potential Week 5 shootout with the Bills.

Adams’ 137 yards combine with the 195 yards he erupted for in Week 2 to set a new high in receiving yards in consecutive games during his remarkable career. Even more stunning was the fact that he did so against one of the top corners in the league in Pat Surtain, who shadowed Adams for all but a handful of his routes, proving his ability to get open against top competition even in the later stages of his career. Puka Nacua missed both Week 2 and Week 3 and his injury timeline remains convoluted, at best. Adams will remains a top-tier WR1 should Nacua miss more time, and would be solid WR2 should Nacua return for a Week 4 meeting with the Eagles.

In a surprisingly candid interview with ESPN Los Angeles, McVay certainly did not sound optimistic that Nacua would play in Week 3. Nacua has already missed one practice this week and there’s been no indication that he will get back on the field over the next two days. Davante Adams racked up 195 yards and two scores with Nacua out in Week 2. It will be hard not to rank him as a WR1 once Nacua is ruled out. Terrance Ferguson operated as the team’s No. 2 receiver last week and will be in the TE1 mix without Nacua.

Sean McVay was unsure if Nacua would be able to play in Week 3 when asked about it on Tuesday. A DNP today suggests Nacua will need at least one more week of rest before returning to the lineup. Terrance Ferguson finished second on the Rams in targets last week with nine. He caught six passes for 54 yards and a score. No receiver outside of Davante Adams was targeted more than two times. Adams was utterly dominant, turning his 10 targets into 195 yards and two scores. Those are the only two major beneficiaries of Nacua’s likely absence.

There was plenty of talk about how great Adams looked in the precursor to the season, but it wasn’t on display in Week 1. The 33-year-old had a long gain of just 13 yards, and he and Matthew Stafford were unable to find many openings against the San Francisco secondary. Adams will get a chance to rebound in Week 2 in a Monday Night Football contest against the Giants.

“If there was concern over whether Adams still had it as a perimeter wide receiver at age 33, this camp has put a lot of those questions to rest,” Atkins said, adding Adams had retained his otherworldly connection with Matthew Stafford. “Adams looks fresh and explosive, and he was virtually uncoverable in the joint practices against the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints.” Atkins conceded that the Rams “might have to get creative again with load management at times” to ensure Adams can get through a whole season without injuries. A whole training camp with Stafford — something he didn’t have in 2025 — could make Adams one of the sneakier wideout selections outside the first couple rounds of fantasy drafts.

McVay said he was up front with Adams about the possibility of a trade earlier this offseason, but said the team ultimately decided that trading the 33-year-old receiver wouldn’t do much to benefit the team. Adams caught 60 passes for 789 yards in his first season with the Rams, playing second fiddle to Puka Nacua, but still managed to haul in a league-leading 14 touchdowns while operating as one of the premier end zone threats in the league. The veteran receiver is under contract through next season and should continue to thrive in the role he was in last season, putting him in the conversation as a fringe WR2/WR3 with plenty of touchdown upside.