The Seattle Seahawks have a lot to prepare for this week, as they face the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football. With both teams at 11-3, the winner will hold a one-game lead in the NFC West. However, it looks like the Seahawks won't have to game-plan against one star offensive player.
Rams' wide receiver Davante Adams is now questionable to play in Week 16 after re-aggravating a hamstring injury in Sunday's win over the Detroit Lions. Adams, who leads the NFL in touchdown receptions, suffered the injury early in the fourth quarter on a non-contact play and didn't return to the game.
In his postgame press conference, Rams' head coach Sean McVay left the door open for Adams to suit up on Thursday against the Seahawks but said the odds "didn't look good."
"We’ll see. [Davante] was optimistic, talking to him. He knows his body really well," McVay said. "They had an east and west double (team). He split it and then just came up where he felt it. We'll see what that means. I can't imagine that's good for Thursday with just a short amount of time, but I certainly wouldn't rule him out quite yet, but it didn't look good.”
How Davante Adams' injury affects the Seattle Seahawks' chances to win
Adams was held to his quietest game of the season when the Seahawks and Rams squared off in Week 11. The six-time Pro Bowler had one catch for a single yard on eight targets. Yet, the Rams managed to win 21-19, in no small part because of Sam Darnold's four-interception day.
Despite Adams' minor impact in the team's first meeting, the Rams will particularly miss him in the red zone this week. Out of Adams' 14 receiving touchdowns, nine have come from inside the five-yard line. His goal-line dominance is a major reason the Rams are tied for third in red-zone scoring efficiency, converting 66.67% of their trips inside the 20-yard line into touchdowns.
The Seahawks have the sixth-best red zone defense on the season, allowing a touchdown only 51.16% of the time, and they lead the league in red-zone efficiency over the last three weeks. This strength could be magnified and prove pivotal with Adams on the sideline.
“He's an outstanding football player, a huge part of our offense, and a guy that has put it in the end zone a bunch for us this year," Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford said of Adams. "That’ll be a tough one. I don't know the extent of it. It didn't look like it was a good one, so I feel tough for him. He’s been a warrior for us all year, really, to be honest with you, playing out there for us. We'll see."
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that Adams is considered "week-to-week" by the Rams. "That almost certainly knocks him out for TNF, but it is simply an aggravation of what he was previously dealing with, not a new injury," Rapoport added.
If Adams is ruled out for Week 16's contest, the Seahawks should be able to allocate more attention to the Rams' other superstar receiver, Puka Nacua.
Nacua is second in the NFL in receiving yards, trailing only Jaxon Smith-Njigba. He's been on a tear since returning in Week 9 from an ankle injury, averaging 6.8 catches and 107.3 receiving yards per game over the last seven weeks.
The former fifth-round pick had an injury concern of his own on Sunday against Detroit. Just minutes after Adams exited the game, Nacua was tackled awkwardly by two Lions defenders and had difficulty standing up. While the injury looked serious, the FOX broadcast crew quickly informed the audience that Nacua was experiencing muscle cramps. He's expected to be active this week.
Seattle's secondary still has a lot of work cut out with Nacua, but Adams' absence could make a major difference. It looks like the Seahawks may have caught a season-altering break this week, with the NFC West on the line.