A lot went wrong for the Los Angeles Rams in their season opener. Matthew Stafford wasn’t sharp, the defense couldn’t stop the San Francisco 49ers’ quick passing game, receivers weren’t getting open and the team’s two turnovers were costly.
But one of the most puzzling things about their Week 1 loss was the usage of Davante Adams – or the lack thereof.
Adams was a borderline cheat code in the red zone last season, catching 14 touchdown passes to lead the NFL in that department. Nine of those 14 touchdowns came inside the 5-yard line, making things look easy in the tight quarters of the end zone. His 16 targets within the 5 were the most of any player since at least 2000.
Fast-forward to Week 1 and he was nowhere to be found when the Rams got close
to the goal line. According to Jack Miller of Establish The Run, Adams played just one of the Rams’ seven snaps inside the 10-yard line.
Last season, he didn’t have a single game where he played fewer than 50% of the snaps inside the 10, with a year-long average of 77.8%. His snap share inside the 10 on Thursday was 14%.
The Rams had seven snaps inside the 10 tonight. Davante Adams played one of them.
— Jack Miller (@JackMiller02) September 11, 2026
In games with both Adams and Puka Nacua active last year, Adams played 77.8% of snaps inside the 10 with no games under a 50% i10 snap rate.
In total, Adams played just 54% of the offensive snaps in Week 1, seeing just six targets; he caught three of them for 26 yards. Last season, he had just three games where he played fewer than 59% of the snaps. One was when he got hurt in Week 15, another was a 45-17 win over the Cardinals, and the third was when he injured his back against the 49ers in Week 10.
In nine of the 14 games he played, he was on the field for at least 75% of the snaps. So what changed on Thursday night? The Rams were in 13 personnel on 21 plays against the 49ers, continuing their trend of leaning on their tight ends.
It helps keep their receivers fresh and healthy, but when only one wideout is on the field in 13 personnel, it limits Adams' usage. That might actually be hurting the Rams in the red zone, where Adams is unquestionably at his best – and a far better touchdown threat than, say, Tyler Higbee or Colby Parkinson.
13 personnel is great and the Rams have gotten a lot out of it, but it shouldn't take away what their players do best. And for Adams, that's winning in the red zone and scoring touchdowns.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams' usage of Davante Adams was puzzling in Week 1
