The Rams did not have receiver Puka Nacua on Monday night. That made Davante Adams the focal point of the passing game.
And that added to Adams catching nine passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns.
“He’s a wide receiver for me,” coach Sean McVay told reporters after the game. “He’s not two. He was special and it showed all night. That’s what he’s done consistently and I’m very happy for him. I thought he made some great plays, but you can see there’s a lot of confidence that he and Matthew (Stafford) have. They were able to do a lot of work together this offseason, and it was really nice for him to build on that night alone.”
And the Giants didn’t seem to do anything to accommodate Adams doing his thing.
Giants coach John Harbaugh was asked if the Rams did anything that made it difficult to cover Adams.
“They didn’t do anything special,” Harbaugh said. “He just made plays.”
Should the Giants designate cornerback Greg Newsome II to cover Adams wherever he goes?
“We had a lot of ideas,” Harbaugh said, “a lot of things we tried to do.”
They apparently didn’t try to double Adams, or turn the vaults in his direction.
It couldn’t have hurt. Yes, it would have made it easier for others to open up. And while that may have meant more opportunities for tight ends, the Rams got very little from other receivers. Tutu Atwell caught a pass for 19 yards, and Konata Mumpfield caught a pass for 12 yards.
So yeah, maybe the things the Giants tried should have included moving Adams. On Sunday night, the Broncos apparently will.