Nelson celebrates return with touchdown catch
cussion after making a tackle late in the fourth quarter.
Shields collided hard with running back T.J. Yeldon of the Jaguars during the game’s final drive. He left the field under his own power but did not return to the game.
The training staff had not made an official diagnosis of Shields by the time the Packers left the stadium.
If Shields does have a concussion, it will be his fourth dating back to college. Shields suffered his first concussion during his time at Miami and endured two more with the Packers (2011, 2015).
His concussion a season ago was severe, and Shields called it the worst injury he’s ever had. When his head slammed against the ground in a win over the Dallas Cowboys last December, Shields said he blacked out on the field. Headaches lingered for weeks.
He finally returned in the playoffs against the Arizona Cardinals. “When I went out there to try to work out at first, I still felt it in my head . ... It’s real scary,” Shields said during OTAs in June.
Because he is being evaluated for a concussion, Shields was not permitted to speak with the media Sunday in Jacksonville.
Cobb left the game briefly as well. A defender collided with Cobb’s lower leg after a short reception in the left flat. Cobb said the hit struck a nerve and forced his leg to go numb.
The feeling dissipated a few minutes later, and Cobb returned to the game.
Cornerback LaDarius Gunter missed a few plays due to cramps.
Adams releases frustrations: Late in the first quarter Sunday, Packers wide receiver Davante Adams created separation on a deep route down the middle of the field. Rodgers rolled to his left and heaved.
Now in his third season, Adams at his best is an acrobatic player with uncanny aerial abilities and big-play potential. At his worst, Adams is a plodding receiver who struggles as much with dropped passes as he does to get open.
When his promising rookie season gave way to nagging injuries (ankle, knee) and a sophomore slump — 50 catches, 483 yards, one touchdown — his job security on the 53-man roster was questioned.
“It is what it is with all that,” Adams said Sunday. “I’m not worried about that; we’re on to a new year.”
Still, the social media grumbles resurfaced when the pass from Rodgers, perhaps a smidgen underthrown, slipped through Adams’ hands on what would have been a massive gain.
But then, in the waning seconds the first half, Adams made the kind of play that reminds viewers why general manager Ted Thompson snagged him with a secondround pick.
His moment began with Rodgers engulfed in the pocket, one player tugging on the quarterback’s jersey from behind and another ready to level him from the front. Rodgers, still mentally unencumbered, lunged forward to unleash a dart toward the end zone. The ball traveled some 35 yards, and Adams, draped by former Packers corner Davon House, made an impressive touchdown catch in traffic.
“Aaron, from what I saw, it looked like he got hit a little bit,” Adams said.
“Then he slung it down there and House, aggressive, a good corner, he was on me tight a little bit. So I tried to shield him off and I came down with a tough grab.’’
His celebration was equal parts defiance and relief. Adams, criticized heavily throughout the 2015 season, rose to his feet for a vicious spike of the football. He turned his back to the fans and pointed to the name on his jersey.
Join the club: Wide receiver Jeff Janis did enough in practice with a club on his broken right hand that the coaches decided to keep him active to play special teams.
Janis, who was a force covering punts last year, was back at his usual position, serving with fellow receiver Jared Abbrederis at the two gunner spots. Though he didn’t have a tackle, Janis did draw multiple defenders on him, which was the case last season after teams saw how effective he can be.
Janis said “it wasn’t fun” playing with the club on. He said he tried to use it the best he could, but not being able to grab with one of his hands made getting past blockers and making tackles difficult.
“It’s much harder playing with one hand,” he said.
An ‘emotional anthem’: There was a saxophone solo, a flyover and players from both teams helping to hold an American flag that covered the entire playing surface at EverBank Field.
With the NFL’s opening Sunday falling on the 15th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2011, terrorist attacks, teams throughout the league remembered the fallen before kickoff Sunday.
Players rarely are active participants in the pregame national anthem. On Sunday, Packers and Jaguars players joined volunteers — including military men and women — in waving a giant American flag that covered end zone to end zone.
“It was as emotional anthem I have seen in a long time,” coach Mike McCarthy said.