‘Toughness’ of Jarrett Stidham impressed Raiders’ Davante Adams. And there was more
.JPG "Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Jarrett Stidham lines up against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half of an NFL game, Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023, in Las Vegas.")
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams was impressed with Jarrett Stidham’s first NFL start at quarterback.
Stidham had a strong game, passing for 365 yards and three touchdowns against two interceptions in a 37-34 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
One of those touchdowns came when Stidham was being pressured. He rolled out and extended the play, and as a result he had enough time to find a wide-open Adams, who caught the ball and ran for a 60-yard score.
Adams appreciated the skill Stidham flashed.
“It’s something I got a lot of experience, playing with Aaron (Rodgers) for such a long time,” Adams said Wednesday. “You get used to some of the off-schedule stuff. That’s what the really good quarterbacks do. They extend plays and they find a way to, whether it’s with their legs, he did that a couple times, or if it’s just buying more time and holding on until the last second. That’s not easy to do.”
.JPG "49ersRaidersFootball (4).JPG")
Stidham got the start in place of Derek Carr, who was benched and sent away from the team for the final two games of the NFL season to avoid an injury that would risk $40 million on his contract from becoming guaranteed.
Stidham will get a second start at 1:30 p.m.Saturday against the Kansas City Chiefs. Another strong showing would give Raiders coach Josh McDaniels something to think about at quarterback going into the 2023 season.
Adams likes Stidham’s toughness, as he showed an ability to take the punishment that NFL defenders are capable of delivering.
“You gotta be a pretty tough guy to sit in there and take a hit like that,” he said. “Just to make sure you give it everything you got as far as exhausting all your options.
“I gotta a lot of respect for the way he sees the game in that aspect because you saw that in preseason and you never know if it’s going to pan out like that when it’s real-life bullets when the season starts, but to see that, I was definitely impressed to know that he has that in his bag and that he’s tough enough to hold on there and make any play work.”
