If the Baltimore Ravens’ defense is going to rebound from their Week 1 performance, they know who they have stop on the Las Vegas Raiders’ offense.
Raiders receiver Davante Adams has the Ravens’ attention heading into Sunday. Ravens All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton noted Adams’ impact on the game and spoke highly of where he ranks among the receivers in his generation.
“Definitely a top receiver of our generation,” Hamilton said. “Somebody that I grew up watching – he and Aaron Rodgers always seemed like they were on the same page. He’s one of the best to do it at his position. The utmost respect to him and everything he’s done, and it’s going to be a challenge for us going against him and everybody else that they have on their team.”
Adams is a three-time All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler. He’s also had at least 100 catches and over 1,100 receiving yards in four-straight seasons and five of the last six. The lone season he didn’t hit those marks over the last six seasons, he only played in 12 games and caught 83 passes for 997 yards.
Adams has led the league in receiving touchdowns twice and caught over 10 touchdowns in six of his 10 seasons in the NFL.
Along with slowing down Adams, limiting the Raiders’ big plays is also a point of emphasis for Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr. In Baltimore’s 27-20 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sept. 5, it allowed quarterback Patrick Mahomes to complete five passes of at least 20 yards, including a 35-yard touchdown to rookie receiver Xavier Worthy.
“We gave up too many explosive plays in Week 1 – we have to limit those,” Orr said. “They have great playmakers. We have to be able to cover their skill and stop the run. I think if we stop the run and cover their skill – obviously you speak about Davante Adams – he’s one of the top receivers this league has.”
The Ravens and Raiders square off on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at M&T Bank Stadium.