Can Jalen Ramsey be the X-factor that stops Davante Adams?
Jalen Ramsey is gearing up for his second ever Divisional Round playoff game and his first with the Los Angeles Rams. After proving his worth as an elite player throughout the course of the 2020-21 season, Ramsey perhaps gets one of his biggest assignments all year: figure out how to shutdown Davante Adams.
"He's at the top of the list, for sure. I think there are three or four super elite corners, and he's definitely one of those guys," said Adams via Ryan Wood of the Green Bay-Press Gazette.
Both have respect for each other, which Adams also acknowledged. This divisonal round matchup could perhaps come down to this battle between a top three WR and a top three CB.
Let's dig in more into their matchup.
Jalen Ramsey against the league's best
Jalen Ramsey has had his game sharpened over the past couple of seasons. Last year, he faced off against some of the best WRs in the game when the LA Rams took on the NFC South. He played against Julio Jones (though Matt Ryan was out during that game), Michael Thomas and Mike Evans.
Here are the stats from the aforementioned WRs in those matchups:
- Julio Jones; 6 rec, 93 yards
- Mike Evans; 4 rec, 89 yards, 1 TD
- Michael Thomas; 10 rec, 89 yards
Now, the yardage isn't great. But the only touchdown Jalen Ramsey allowed was during a shootout with the Buccaneers. Where, on the other side, Chris Godwin had 172 yards and two touchdowns and the Rams lost 55-40.
As previously mentioned, these are three of the NFL's best pass catchers. Allowing only one score is huge and nullifies the yardage gained, seeing as if you aren't scoring, you're not winning.
This year, Jalen Ramsey was tested multiple times by the league's best again. He played breakout star D.K. Metcalf three times (once last week during the Wild Card round) and another top three WR in DeAndre Hopkins twice as he was traded to the divisional rival Arizona Cardinals.
Here are the seasonal stats from those match-ups:
- D.K. Metcalf; 3 games, 13 catches, 183 yards (61 yards/game), 2 touchdowns
- DeAndre Hopkins; 2 games, 12 catches, 87 yards (43.5 yards/game), 1 touchdown
It's important to remember that Ramsey wasn't on these guys every down. But his impact is felt throughout the entire game and against the best of the best, Jalen Ramsey has proven he can limit the damage they're able to do.
Jalen Ramsey vs Davante Adams
Now, Jalen Ramsey and Davante Adams have only ever matched up once before – in Jalen Ramsey's first game in the NFL. It's worth noting that both Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb were still with Green Bay. Which means at this point, Adams was the third option and the de-facto WR2 since Cobb played the slot.
Adams was held to only three catches for 50 yards but had one touchdown. Jalen Ramsey was notably vocal after, claiming he allowed zero catches.
It's mightily unfair to judge this match-up based off this game since both WRs have made monumental jumps in skill since 2016.
Prediction: Jalen Ramsey has shown that against the best of the best he can limit their effect on the game. However, Adams is a beast in his own right with this year's likely MVP throwing the ball to him. Ramsey will prevent Adams from scoring but Adams will still help the Packers move the ball with seven catches for 75 yards.