Is Davante Adams playing today? A full injury update for Wild Card weekend

Here we go, the 12-5 Los Angeles Rams have a chance to settle the score over a humbling Week 13 loss to the 8-9 Carolina Panthers. The two teams face off once more, but fans are eager to learn if the offensive star of that previous clash will suit up for this one. Well, in a word, yes. Yes, he will.

Adams played against the Panthers and was one of the most effective offensive weapons for LA in that one. He pulled down four of five passes for 58 yards and a pair of touchdowns. As the Horns lost that game by just three points, head coach Sean McVay was anxious to get him back on the football field.

Well, he's back, and he's gnawing at the bit to contribute once more.

He would play two more games, propelling the team to an 11-3 record before aggravating a nagging hamstring injury in Week 15 against the Detroit Lions. He was shut down during that game and sat out the final three games of the season. Unfortunately, he had to watch from the bench as his team dropped two vital games to fall to the fifth seed for the playoffs.

Sean McVay is a manipulative motivator of Davante Adams

Could Adams have played before this game? Perhaps. Reports from both Weeks 17 and 18 indicated that Adams was experiencing no pain or discomfort and could have suited up. But head coach Sean McVay outright vetoed the idea of Adams participating before this game.

It's the age-old game within the game at work here. McVay understood that the best way to galvanize the focus of his veteran wide receiver was to sit him out and watch his teammates struggle without him. Right now, Adams is single-mindedly prepared to play one of his best games.

And he likely will.

Motivating key players is one of the tricks that every successful head coach must learn to accomplish. Legendary head coach Bill Parcells once placed an empty gas can in the locker of star linebacker Brian Cox with the message,

"Is there any gas left in the tank?"

Cox would go on to perform at a Pro Bowl level from that point on.

No, McVay did not sit Adams with the intention of losing two of three games. He truly could not suit up to face the Seattle Seahawks in Week 16. Once LA lost that game, its fate was sealed. And so, the act of sitting Adams, in addition to ensuring his healthy return in time for the playoffs, may have ulterior motives.

Davante Adams is an elite wide receiver who takes great pride in his ability to perform on the football field. It must have horrified him to helplessly observe his teammates compete without him for three weeks.

Well, he's back and planning to do everything possible to ensure the LA Rams emerge victoriously. And if you know how Sean McVay thinks, that's exactly how he had this script written.

As always, thanks for reading.