Packers vs. Texans score: Davante Adams sets career high in receiving yards as Green Bay cruises

Davante Adams proved he's still one of the elite wide receivers in the NFL, as he set a career high with 196 receiving yards as the Green Bay Packers cruised to a blowout victory over the Houston Texans, 35-20. Green Bay avenged its embarrassing loss last week thanks to the play of Adams, whose 13 receptions fell one shy of tying the franchise record for catches in a game set by Adams and Hall of Famer Don Hutson. Aaron Rodgers was dominant in the victory too, tossing four touchdowns and throwing for 283 yards while recording a 132.4 passer rating. 

Rodgers had his 26th game with four-plus passing touchdowns, extending his franchise record. He threw touchdowns to three different receivers, as Jace Sternberger and Malik Taylor caught the first touchdowns of their careers. Rodgers now has 17 touchdown passes to just two interceptions on the season. The Packers have never lost back-to-back games in head coach Matt LaFleur's two seasons and kept the streak intact by scoring the first 21 points of the game en route to the victory. 

Adams had the fifth most receiving yards in a game in Packers history, falling four yards shy of becoming the fifth wide receiver to eclipse 200 yards in a game -- and the first since Jordy Nelson in 2014. The Packers, missing Aaron Jones and David Bakhtiari, racked up 380 yards of offense on just 59 plays (prior to kneeldowns), an average of 6.4 yards per play. Jamaal Williams, filling in for Jones, finished with 114 total yards. 

Deshaun Watson threw for 322 yards and two touchdowns in the loss and Will Fuller caught a touchdown pass for the fifth consecutive game, joining DeAndre Hopkins as the only players in franchise history to have five straight games with a touchdown catch. Fuller's 21 touchdown catches are the most through a player's first 49 career games. Watson is the first player in franchise history to throw for 250-plus passing yards in each of the team's first seven games in a season. 

Here are the takeaways from this one, and check out our live blog below for updates from the game. 

Why the Packers won

Green Bay had its way against a Houston pass defense that came into the contest with the second-worst passer rating allowed to opposing quarterbacks. That number ended up being higher thanks to Rodgers lighting up Houston's secondary, throwing for 283 yards and four touchdowns in the dominant victory. Matt LaFleur didn't make the offense difficult, setting Adams up early and often as the receiver had arguably his best day as a pro. Adams against the Houston secondary was a mismatch from the opening kickoff. 

Why The Texans lost

No matter how Deshaun Watson plays, the Texans defense just can't stop their opponent on a consistent basis. Watson was good enough to keep this game from being a blowout — but the Houston defense allowed the Packers to go 7-for-12 on third down and 4- for-4 in the red zone. The Packers had 253 yards of offense in the first half, scoring touchdowns on three of their five possessions to take a 21-0 lead. Houston's offense was unable to get any points on the board, starting the game by running 15 plays for 51 yards. When the Texans finally were able to get something going on offense, it was too late. 

The Quote

"It was more so we felt like we owed it to ourselves." - Packers wide receiver Davante Adams on the team's bounce-back win. Green Bay lost its first game of the year last week in embarrassing fashion to the Buccaneers, but rebounded to tie the Chicago Bears for first place in the NFC North. 

Turning point

This game was Packers wire-to-wire, and Rodgers made sure this game wasn't in doubt by going to Adams early and often. Adams had his way against the Texans secondary on the opening possession, catching his first three targets — two of which were on third down — including the final one for a 3-yard touchdown. The Packers took a 7-0 lead on the first possession of the game and never looked back. 

Play of the game

You can pick any of Adams' 12 catches in this game, but his 45-yard touchdown catch to put Green Bay up 28-7 takes the cake. Facing a third-and-4 from the Houston 45, the Texans decided to play press coverage against Adams in the slot — and Adams went right past Eric Murray for the easy score. Adams set a career-high in receiving yards with 196 in the win. 

Up next

The Packers (5-1) host the Vikings in the teams second and final meeting of the season. The Texans (1-6) will head into their bye in Week 8 before returning to play on Sunday, Nov. 8 against the Jaguars.