GREEN BAY – Packers receiver Davante Adams doesn't know yet whether he'll be able to play at New Orleans, but even if he can't practice all week, quarterback Aaron Rodgers sees no issues with getting on the same page Sunday night.
Adams left last Sunday's game against Detroit with a hamstring injury, and while he was testing it out on the sideline to see if he could return, Head Coach Matt LaFleur decided to hold him out with the Packers in command in the second half.
He did not practice on Wednesday, but that's no indication one way or another on his playing status at this point.
"It's too early to tell," Adams said. "It's feeling better. I think we're making good progress every day. But we're just going to wait it out and see.
"It'll probably be a decision that's made later in the week most likely, just to get a full assessment, give me the full amount of time I need to get right, to a real comfortable spot. Obviously I don't think we're there just yet, but we're making great strides on the way there."
While the Packers are hoping to get Adams back, the Saints are in the same boat with their top receiver, Michael Thomas, who is trying to recover from an ankle injury and missed New Orleans' Monday night game at Las Vegas.
With an injury as tricky as a hamstring, it's possible the Packers could hold Adams out of practice all week and then see how he feels a few hours before kickoff Sunday night.
Without naming names, LaFleur indicated certain veteran players could get the green light to play despite not practicing at all, and Rodgers followed up by confirming his chemistry with Adams is such they could make it work in such a scenario.
"I don't think it's problematic at all," Rodgers said. "If he doesn't practice, I would feel completely comfortable if he wakes up Sunday morning and says, 'I'm going to play.'
"If he does (feel ready) by Sunday, shoot I want him out there and I don't care if he practices at all."
After a huge game in Week 1 at Minnesota, tying the franchise record with 14 receptions (for 156 yards and two touchdowns), Adams was held three catches for 36 yards by the Lions' double-teaming before he exited the game.
The offense kept rolling along in his absence, approaching 500 total yards for the second straight week and scoring three times in the second half as running back Aaron Jones had the huge day. It was reminiscent of last October when Adams, now a three-time Pro Bowler, missed four games with a turf toe injury and, to the surprise of some, the Packers won all four games.
"Yeah, man, they don't need me," Adams joked. "They don't need me. That's what it boils down to. It just shows our guys are mentally tough enough to be able to step up."
In all seriousness, Rodgers corrected the sentiment, knowing for the offense to be at its absolute best, Adams needs to be out there.
"We need Davante," Rodgers said. "We always need Davante. He's so damn talented. I think what we learned was maybe just how damn talented he is. He's a game-changer and he changes the way defenses play.
"In the time that he was out, we saw some different types of defenses based on their respect or maybe lack of respect of the other guys we had on the squad."
Nonetheless, whether or not he can play, Adams maintains the utmost belief in his teammates as they enter the first of potentially several big showdowns against NFC playoff contenders.
In addition to the numbers Jones is putting up – 312 yards from scrimmage and four TDs through two games – the offense also has gotten 160 receiving yards from Marquez Valdes-Scantling and 108 from Allen Lazard, with a TD from each.
"I think we've shown so far this year … just based off the Aaron Jones show, I like to call it, which I do not mind watching each and every week if we can … but I think what I've seen from these guys has been real promising," Adams said. "I like our chances any game."
