We Need to Talk About the Absolute Number Julian Edelman Did on Jamal Adams

I made a few references to the Julian Edelman/Jamal Adams matchup last night. But sometimes, even in a game of 48 on 48, with so many moving parts, one private war between two combatants is so intense, it rises to the level of blog-worthiness all on its own. Edelman vs Adams was just such skirmish. 

This is meant to be no knock on Adams, who was immense as an in-the-box, disrupting, blitzing, run-stuffing force defender. Just immense. Here was his stat line:

13 tackles 2 TFL 1 sack 2 QB hits 2 PBUs

Not to mention the big moments where he came up big. One of his sacks killed the opening drive of the 2nd half and forced the Patriots to settle for a field goal. On the 2-point conversion try, he was left unaccounted for and blew up the play in the backfield. And I want to be fair to the guy because he's been through a lot this year. He tried to work out a deal with the Jets. Was told a deal with the Jets was only a matter of time. Until finding out the Jets had to intention of giving him an extension. And when you get rejected by a clowncar like the goddamned Jets and end up in Seattle? Well, it's no wonder he's a happy man right now.

So with all that as preamble, let's not lose sight of the fact that he was positively dismantled by Julian Edelman all night in coverage. The one of the best safeties in the game. In his athletic prime. Ten years Edelman's junior. Who's officially listed as three inches taller and 15 pounds heavier. The sixth overall pick in 2017 against the 232nd pick in 2009. And if Edelman treated him any more harshly, he'd be sitting in a circle of folding chairs in a church basement talking about it with a group of strangers right now. 

Keep in mind that we - and I include myself in this - have been flipping our lids over how well D.K. Metcalf did against the DPOTY. And with good reason. He did what no one did to Stephon Gilmore last season. But Metcalf had four receptions for 92 yards. More than half of those yards came on one play. With eight receptions and 179 yards, Edelman essentially doubled up Metcalf. 

Like this:

Advertisement

And here's the first one in handy animated graphic form, so you get the full gist of how Edelman left Adams in the dust. With math!!!

How good was Edelman's performance? Consider that it was his 152nd career game, including the postseason, and he's never come within 28 yards of that total. Even when he won the Super Bowl MVP he did it with a paltry 141 yards, which was like six catches for him last night.

Look, I hear myself. I know that crowing about a guy having a career game in a loss is weak cheese. It's the kind of thing the Adams' own Jets used to do. Stats are for losers. I agree. But when a guy who is generally considered to be approaching the 17th hole of his storied career schools one of the best young defensive players to come into the league in a long time, it deserves to be acknowledged. 

It makes you wonder what it's going to be like next time he's covered by someone who isn't one of the best defensive backs in the league. And to think this is just his second game running routes for Cam Newton, after a shortened training camp and no OTAs. Looks like someone is just fine with the change at quarterback.