Getty Davante Adams #17 of the Green Bay Packers gets a first down in the second half against Eddie Jackson #39 of the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field on December 15, 2019 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
For weeks, one of the biggest questions surrounding the Green Bay Packers has been about all wide receivers not named Davante Adams.
The Packers (11-3) have now gone 14 games without properly establishing a No. 2 wideout in their offense, including during a stretch of four games where Adams was out with a turf toe injury. And Sunday’s playoff-clinching win over the Chicago Bears (7-7) proved to be no different, as Adams accounted for more than half of the team’s receiving yards while the rest was spread over seven other receiving targets.
But when Packers coach Matt LaFleur stops and considers what type of team he has under his command, he feels pretty good about what some of his wideouts are bringing to the table beyond the stat sheets. He even singled out a few of them with a big vote of confidence when speaking with reporters after the game.
“I think we have a bunch of guys who are going to fight for every inch, and that are resilient and that care about each other,” LaFleur said in Sunday’s postgame. “This is what I told the team last night was, ‘What I love about the team is these guys have embraced their roles.’ And one guy in particular … all you’ve got to do is look at Allen Lazard or Geronimo Allison. Those guys, receivers, they want the football, and you watch on a lot of these big runs we’re having, they’re digging out guys, whether they’re blocking a linebacker or the nickel or digging out a safety.
“I think that speaks volumes to what these guys are all about. In that locker room, there’s a bunch of unselfish guys. And I think when you get that and you believe in that, I think anything’s possible, so that’s what I love about this football team. These guys care about each other and they’re willing to do the little things. They are willing to embrace their roles, no matter what that role is, in order to win football games.”
LaFleur has also maintained over the past month he wants his coaching staff continually evaluating how they are getting their wide receivers involved in the offense, going as far as to defer to them on which players come into the game on most series.
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LaFleur Trusts His Support Staff
No doubt there have been big performances from other Packers wideouts this season, but only Adams has actually proved capable of replicating his success in back-to-back games.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling collected more than 400 receiving yards in the first seven games of the season as the No. 2 starter, including a career-high 103 against Oakland, but he has caught just two passes for 11 yards in a severely reduced role over his last seven. He also let a massive opportunity on the first play of Sunday’s game slip through his fingers — literally — that would have gone for a long touchdown reception.
Lazard has also stood out, averaging 14.5 yards per reception, with big games against the Detroit Lions and New York Giants and the confidence of Aaron Rodgers. And yet, he has gone quiet over the past few weeks while the Packers have more often turned to their other options, such as wideouts Allison and Jake Kumerow or their loaded set of tight ends.
“It’s a little bit of a challenge,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur admitted in Sunday’s postgame about dividing up receiving reps. “I rely on (wide receivers coach) Alvis (Whitted) and (quarterback coach) Luke Getsy to roll those guys through. There are certain situations as a play-caller you have in mind calling a play for somebody (specific), and then you’ll ask for that guy, but by in large they’re just rolling those guys through.”
One other challenge will be figuring out how to avoid some of the costly drops that came against the Bears. Beyond Valdes-Scantling’s dropped would-be touchdown, Adams and Allison also had some drops on the afternoon in third-down situations.
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