Green Bay Packers: 3 Matchups to Watch in Week 16
By Kenny Jilek
Davante Adams vs. Malcolm Butler
As I stated earlier, the Titans’ pass defense has been utterly horrible this season. Part of that has been due to the absence of Adoree’ Jackson, who will certainly get some reps across from Adams on Sunday, but this is only his second week back, and it’s likely they’ll trust Butler more to do the job.
I don’t have to tell you about how breathtaking Adams has been this year, but I’ll give you a little taste anyway. For starters, he’s missed two games and is still seventh in total receiving yards. On a per-game basis, he’s the league leader at 98.8, extremely close to the elusive 100 yards per game season. He’s also first among wide receivers and third overall in yards after the catch with 530. Only one other receiver, Cooper Kupp, is over 500, and everyone else within 100 yards has played all 14 games. Oh, and he’s also second in the league in receiving touchdowns with 14.
Somehow, Adams has gotten even more efficient this season in catching the ball. Whether it’s his extremely crisp route running getting even better or his hands on 50/50 balls, he’s improved on his previous career-high in catch percentage by almost 10 percentage points, up from 65.7 in 2018 to 74.8 this season. He and Rodgers have been on the same wavelength all season long and have worked together about as well as almost any duo has in NFL history.
Malcolm Butler is no slouch, though. You probably know his name from the game-saving interception he made in Super Bowl XLIX against the Seahawks when he was a rookie. What you may or may not have realized is that he’s built a great career after that moment. The next season, he made the Pro Bowl and has made 16 interceptions in the last six years. He’s having another good year in 2020, with 13 passed defended, 3 interceptions, and a solid 71.2 Pro Football Focus grade.
Adams will definitely be looking for some big plays to get the Green Bay Packers’ pass offense moving early, and Butler is a worthy adversary. This matchup will go a long way in deciding the fate of this game, and if Adams can’t shake Butler, it could be a tough game.