National Football League

Davante Adams' absence is a big hit for Packers, and the shifting odds show it

Updated Oct. 26, 2021 10:34 p.m. ET

Thursday night's matchup between the Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals was supposed to be a heavyweight matchup between two NFC contenders.

While that still might be the case, the game undoubtedly lost some of its luster with the news that Packers All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams will not be taking the field.

The Cardinals are entering Thursday as the NFL's lone remaining unbeaten team at 7-0, while the Packers are riding a six-game winning streak and sit at 6-1.

But with perhaps the NFL's best receiver being out of arguably the biggest game of the season thus far, the odds have swung dramatically in favor of the Cardinals.

According to FOX Bet, the Cardinals are -6 (-110) favorites to win. A six-point spread is enormous in an NFL game, especially for a matchup between two teams with one loss combined.

According to FOX Bet content integration specialist Jacob Blangsted-Barnor, the line could also be moving due to worries that other Packers could be ruled out due to COVID-19.

"Looks like it’s settling back at about -6," Blangsted-Barnor said. "It was -4.5 before, so Adams is worth 1.5 points, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a small part of that is precautionary in case others also have [COVID]. Have to imagine he’s been in close contact with the other receivers and [Aaron] Rodgers."

This also speaks to the dominance of Adams and how impactful he has been on Green Bay's offense. Since the beginning of last season, Adams ranks first in the NFL in receiving yards (2,118), receptions (167), targets per game (10.6) and receiving touchdowns (21).

To sum it up, Adams has been the most dominant player at his position in the NFL and one of the most dominant players in general.

With Adams' absence, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith doesn't see an avenue to victory for the Packers, which he explained on "First Take."

"They are going up against an undefeated Arizona Cardinals team, who clearly has a chip on its shoulder," Smith said. "I think for this particular game, on the road, in Arizona on a short week, I think this is the kind of night that Green Bay suffers from."

To compound the issues for the Packers, it's not just the fact that Adams is a huge piece of their puzzle. It's also the fact that they have not established a reliable second option in the passing game.

Since the beginning of the 2020 season, Adams has 27 more receptions than the next two closest Packers combined, with Aaron Jones and Robert Tonyan (second and third on team) having just 140.

Adams' 21 touchdowns are also more than that of all other Packers receivers combined (16).

But if there is reason for optimism for the Packers, they have fared surprisingly well without Adams the past three seasons, with Rodgers shining in those matchups.

Hope is not lost for Green Bay fans, though without Adams, it will be an uphill battle against the Cardinals on Thursday.