Green Bay Packers: 3 Matchups to Watch in Week 14

Davante Adams vs. Lions Cornerbacks

When this matchup rolled around early in the season in week two, I wrote about the matchup of third overall pick Jeff Okudah and Davante Adams. The rookie held Adams to just three catches for 36 yards, while the Packers found other methods of offense and scored 42 points.

This week, Okudah is out with an injury, and the Lions are extremely thin at that position. Their highest-rated cornerback by Pro Football Focus is Amani Oruwariye at 56.9, which is far from ideal, especially when trying to guard arguably the best receiver in the league in Adams.

Their other options to matchup with Adams are Darryl Roberts and Justin Coleman, who both haven’t had a season with an Approximate Value of over 4, which is Football Reference’s stat that attempts to give each player a number value based on their quality of play for the year. For reference, Kevin King’s AV last year was 6, and Josh Jackson had a 4 in his rookie season.

This all points to a huge day for Davante Adams, which is nothing new. He’s already had five games of over 100 yards, and he’ll likely get his sixth on Sunday. He has twice feasted on Minnesota’s depleted secondary, totaling 209 yards and five touchdowns in their two meetings, and there’s no reason why he shouldn’t do the same to the Lions. The only way Adams won’t get over 100 yards is if the running game is clicking again like it was in week two when the Green Bay Packers’ running backs combined for a ridiculous 248 yards.

What do you think are the most important matchups to win for the Green Bay Packers to take the victory over the Lions this week? Let us know in the comments below or on Twitter @DairylandXpress.