The anticipation was palpable at Bank of America Stadium as the Los Angeles Rams prepared to square off against the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Wild Card playoff game on Saturday, January 10, 2026. But all eyes were on one man: Davante Adams. After missing the final three weeks of the regular season with a nagging hamstring injury, Adams was set to return to the field, injecting hope and firepower into a Rams offense that had sorely missed his presence. The stakes couldn’t have been higher, with the Rams needing a win to keep their Super Bowl dreams alive.
Adams’ absence was felt immediately after he went down in mid-December against the Detroit Lions. The Rams stumbled to a 1-2 record without their veteran receiver, and while quarterback Matthew Stafford continued to pile up stats—finishing the season with a league-leading 46 touchdown passes—Los Angeles’s red-zone efficiency plummeted. The Rams managed touchdowns on 58% of their red-zone trips with Adams in the lineup, but that number dropped to a mere 41% during his absence. The difference between punching it in for six and settling for three was glaring, and it nearly cost the Rams their playoff berth.
Despite missing three games, Adams’s season was nothing short of remarkable. He finished with 60 catches for 789 yards and an NFL-best 14 touchdown receptions, becoming the first player in league history to lead the NFL in touchdown catches with three different teams: the Green Bay Packers in 2020, the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022, and now the Rams in 2025. His 117 career touchdown catches are the most among active players and rank seventh all-time—a testament to his consistency and dominance, especially in the red zone.
“He’s in rarefied air,” Rams coach Sean McVay said of Adams, who was aggressively pursued to replace Cooper Kupp and signed to a two-year contract with $26 million in guarantees. McVay’s gamble paid off in spades, particularly when the Rams found themselves inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. Adams’s uncanny ability to separate from defenders and his chemistry with Stafford made him a lethal threat near the goal line. As offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur put it, “Once it clicked, it just clicked.”
The numbers back it up. Adams caught 11 of his 14 touchdowns in a torrid six-game stretch before his injury, an absurd 23% touchdown rate on his 60 receptions. That kind of efficiency is rare, even for a player of Adams’s caliber. Yet, his overall yardage was down—789 yards marked his lowest output in a decade. Instead of dominating between the 20s, Adams became a specialist—a closer who delivered points when they mattered most. At 33, that specialization is smart football, extending his effectiveness and career.
Adams’s impact, however, goes beyond the stat sheet. His leadership in the locker room was crucial as the Rams navigated the adversity of a playoff push without him. “Guys are looking at me for leadership and direction still, in the midst of me battling with injuries,” Adams explained. “I’ve still got to be there for them.” That veteran presence was invaluable, especially for a team with several young receivers and players making their postseason debuts. His influence even extended to the defensive side, with edge rusher Jared Verse admitting, “If you go against Davante, you have to be ready because he’s going to have something crazy to say back. You have to be prepared for it.”
Meanwhile, Adams’s running mate, Puka Nacua, turned in a breakout year, leading the NFL with 129 catches and finishing second in receiving yards. Nacua’s emergence as a top threat forced opposing defenses to divert attention, often leaving Adams in single coverage—a luxury he hadn’t enjoyed much in his career. “It’s been an advantage for everybody else in our offense, knowing where the defense is trying to land and trying to stop every cut they can from No. 17, and the opportunities are given to everybody else,” Nacua said.
But the Panthers weren’t about to roll over. Their defense, ranked 24th in defensive EPA/dropback and 20th in dropback success rate, had limited the Rams in their regular-season meeting, a game in which Adams still managed to score twice. Star cornerback Jaycee Horn was expected to shadow Nacua, potentially opening the door for Adams to find space and re-establish his red-zone connection with Stafford. The question, though, was whether three weeks off would disrupt the timing that made Adams nearly unstoppable near the end zone. “We’ve put in the work and we understand each other a lot better than what we did when we first started the season,” Adams said. “Hopefully that takes care of that.”
Stafford, for his part, was unconcerned about any potential rust. “I just have to put it in the ballpark,” he quipped, “and let him go do his thing.” The trust between quarterback and receiver had been forged over the course of the season, even as Stafford dealt with his own preseason back injury. The two veterans needed time to establish a connection, but once they did, the results spoke for themselves. Adams broke out with a three-touchdown performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London in Week 7 and remained on a tear until his injury in December.
Adams’s return for the Wild Card was more than just a boost to the offense—it was a shot in the arm for the entire franchise. The Rams, still smarting from an early-season loss to Carolina, were determined to avenge that defeat and keep their postseason run alive. Adams, preparing for his seventh playoff appearance and first since 2021, was acutely aware of what was at stake. He’s played in 11 career postseason games, hauling in 72 catches and eight touchdowns, but the Super Bowl ring has eluded him thus far. “We have bigger goals in mind than to just survive the first round of the playoffs,” Adams asserted.
As kickoff approached, the spotlight was firmly on Adams. Would he and Stafford rekindle their red-zone magic? Would the Panthers’ defense find a way to slow down the NFL’s touchdown king? The answers would unfold under the bright lights of postseason football, with the Rams’ season—and Adams’s quest for a Super Bowl—hanging in the balance.
With Adams back in the huddle and the Rams’ offense at full strength, fans in Los Angeles and across the league braced for a Wild Card clash that promised fireworks. However, as the action on the field continued, one thing was clear: the Rams’ fate would rest on whether their star receiver could pick up right where he left off.
