Green Bay Packers receiver Dontayvion Wicks was targeted 13 times on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. He dropped two passes, failed to finish on at least two others and finished 0-for-3 on contested catches, creating a frustratingly inconsistent performance from the second-year pass-catcher in what turned out to be a 31-29 loss to the Vikings.
While uneven, Sunday’s showing from Wicks could easily be viewed as more encouraging and less worrisome.
Obviously, Wicks must finish better. He had a third-down pass go off his hands inside the 20. A pair of sliding catches going to the ground weren’t finished. He had a chance to make a huge play on a heave towards the end zone on 4th-and-8 in the third quarter and failed.
But Wicks was targeted 13 times against the Vikings because he consistently got open. And while NFL receivers must make tough catches, had Jordan Love thrown better balls on at least three of his targets, Wicks might have finished with a career day.
His drop on third down on the first drive was thrown low and away but still should have been caught. Wicks might have scored. Twice, he had to go to the ground and attempt sliding catches. Wicks was wide open on all three. Love admitted his accuracy and ball placement were erratic and needed to be better. He made life hard on Wicks, especially early.
On two of his targets, contact played a part in the failure. One could reasonably argue pass interference was committed on both a first quarter target to Wicks on 3rd-and-10 and on the 4th-and-8 attempt. There is no denying contact at the catch point.
Another one of his targets was a mistake from Love. Against an all-out blitz, Love threw early on what he believed to be a 50/50 ball to Wicks on a go route. But because of the early throw, Wicks never had a chance to track the ball and Byron Murphy made an easy pick.
Love and Wicks failed to connect on eight passes. Three were poorly placed. Two were affected by contact at the catch point. One was batted down. One was a poor decision by the quarterback against a blitz.
Once Love settled in, Wicks started piling up the big plays. He caught a 6-yard touchdown pass. He caught a 36-yarder to jump start a drive. And he caught a 17-yard touchdown between defenders late in the fourth quarter.
Love never stopped looking Wicks’ way, which is both a credit to the quarterback and a testament of Wicks’ ability to get open and create plays.
According to Next Gen Stats, Wicks actually has a higher average of separation per target this year (3.6 yards) compared to last year (3.2). He had an average separation of almost four yards against the Vikings. Getting open is not a problem.
With Christian Watson expected to miss at least a week of action and maybe more, Wicks is about to become a primary target in the passing game. Love trusts Wicks because he gets open on time and on schedule.
For receivers, hands can come and go. But getting open is the most important part of playing the position, and Wicks once again looks like an elite creator of separation within the Packers passing game. The finishes must be better. No doubt. But more opportunities are coming his way, and it wouldn’t be unreasonable to bet on Wicks finishing better as Love heals and gets more and more comfortable as a passer.
