After taking a near 17-hour flight to Melbourne, Australia, for their season opener, the Los Angeles Rams' passing offense was grounded by the San Francisco 49ers. Many have been left wondering how the team's league-leading offense failed to produce after such a poor output.
All-Pro Davante Adams was held in check during the contest, and as the team looks to prove Week 1 was simply a one-off, Adams has the job of being the veteran voice behind the turnaround. On Thursday, as the team prepares for the New York Giants, Adams was asked about the quality of the Giants' secondary.
Without mincing words, Adams claimed it was the entire defense that contributes to their success, with their defensive line taking pressure off the defensive backs.
“I think
it's less of specifically the secondary, not to minimize what they do, but [they’re] just a solid defense all around," said Adams. "And I think that's more important sometimes than having a great secondary, having guys up front that can get pressure. Sometimes in a situation like what we have, we have a lot of good interior guys and guys up front to where on the back end, those guys may not have to work quite as hard and quite as long.
"You look at who they have up front, and that's where it starts on every team. They have some guys that can get to the quarterback and put some pressure on you in the run game and all those facets. Then on the back end, they definitely have some good athletes and I've had a chance of playing against pretty much all of them so a little bit of familiarity there, but I definitely have respect for those guys.”
The 49ers were able to use pressure at the line of scrimmage to speed up throws made by Matthew Stafford, leading to the Rams' overall offensive failures. If Adams is correct, the Rams have the same challenge ahead of them, but they'll be at home for this contest, allowing fans and the media to see if Los Angeles is a real contender this season, or if they're paper champions.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Davante Adams says Giants' pass rush takes pressure off secondary
