The Las Vegas Raiders achieved something in Week 1 versus the Denver Broncos that they rarely did last season. They won a close football game.

While things got a bit dicey, new quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo led what would be a game-winning touchdown drive with six-and-a-half minutes left in the fourth quarter. The defense held strong and Sean Payton's Denver debut was definitively ruined.

Davante Adams was present for all of the Raiders' late-game follies in 2022 and knows that this team must be sharper in its execution if it is going to stay on this positive trajectory.

“This type of game was the difference in our season last year,” he said after the 17-16 win, per Vegas Sports Today. “We obviously want to win prettier than what we did today, but at the same time, it's complimentary football. We have to play well together as a team to get it done, and we did it just good enough.”

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Adams tallied six receptions for 66 yards on a day where Jakobi Meyers played the hero role, scoring both of the team's touchdowns. Nevertheless, the three-time All-Pro wide receiver should still be the focal point of the Raiders' passing attack. Even when he doesn't have monster games, Adams has plenty of experience to lend.

The hardship he endured in his first year in Las Vegas, which culminated with the release of QB Derek Carr, has made him aware of what this group must do going forward. “We got to be smarter and finish it out, and at the end of the day we finished and that was the difference,” Davante Adams said.