The list of receivers selected to represent the NFC at the upcoming Pro Bowl does not include Davante Adams of the Green Bay Packers. And that might prove to be a huge oversight if Adams continues to play the way he did in the Packers’ NFC divisional round win over the Seahawks Sunday at Lambeau Field.
Adams, the sixth-year pro from Fresno State, caught eight passes for a franchise playoff record 160 yards as the Packers defeated the Seahawks 28-23 to advance to Sunday’s NFC Championship game against the 49ers. Adams caught touchdown passes of 20 and 40 yards and converted a key third down late in the game with a 32-yard over-the-shoulder catch.
“Davante Adams is one of the best, if not the best, in the league,” Packers right guard Billy Turner said. “He did exactly what we expected him to do in this game; make plays all four quarters. I’m very thankful to have him on my side.”
So is Aaron Rodgers. It’s special when a quarterback and a receiver have a sixth sense of what the other is thinking. It’s gotten to the point where Rodgers can read Adams’ body language and know where the football needs to be thrown.
It happened on both touchdowns and the key third-down conversion.
“It reminds me of the connection that Jordy [Nelson] and I had for so many years where there’s some unspoken things that we could do without even communicating anything about it,” Rodgers said. “Davante made three or four plays like that. It was pretty fun.”
Adams used a great release and leverage to speed past the Seahawks defense for his first touchdown catch to end the Packers’ opening drive and set the tone for the rest of his day.
“Why any playmaker if you get them the ball early, it helps with their confidence and their mojo and their momentum,” Adams said. “It’s something we’re trying to do. My quarterback and my head coach and my teammates did a great job in helping me makes plays.”
Adams suggested at halftime the play on which he scored on a 40-yard catch and run to give the Packers a 28-10 lead in the third quarter. Rodgers underthrew the ball just enough so Adams could come back for it, then elude the rest of the defense as he crossed the field toward the goal line.
“That was just a very precise route by him,” Rodgers said. “That allowed him to get separation.”
The third-down conversion came on a 32-yard catch in traffic along the sideline, giving the Packers a first down with 2:19 to play. After another first down, Green Bay ran out the clock.
“We’ve been putting a lot of work in since OTAs,” Adams said, “putting in a completely new system, new coaches and everything new. To be in this position and to do as well as we did in the regular season and come out and make a statement like this means a lot.”
One reason Adams didn’t make the Pro Bowl was he missed five games with turf toe. He still had 997 yards receiving and five touchdowns, and has been a warrior of late, amassing more than 100 yards receiving in three of the last four games. His good flow with Rodgers needs to continue if the Packers are going to have a chance against the 49ers.
This will be the third NFC Championship game since 2014. The Packers lost to the Seahawks in 2014 and to the Falcons in 2016.
“I’m happy where we are but I’ve been to two of these already,” Adams said. “I’ll be really excited when we get on the plane to go to Miami. It’s a situation where everything is still in front of us at this point of the season.”