Green Bay Packers news: Why they won; what’s ahead

Jan 11, 2015; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver

(17) gets away from Dallas Cowboys free safety

(27) to score a touchdown in the third quarter in the 2014 NFC Divisional playoff football game at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Adams’ Play-Extension

The last time we saw anything decent out of Davante Adams, it was in possibly the most marquee matchup of Green Bay’s season.

When playing the Patriots back in November, Adams put up his biggest game in his rookie season with 6 catches for 121 yards; it should’ve been even bigger too, but he dropped a sure-fire TD catch-&-run on a slant route during the game.

Jan 11, 2015; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams (17) scores a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys in the third quarter in the 2014 NFC Divisional playoff football game at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

In the next four games however, Adams pretty much fell off the planet. He only managed a combined 4 catches for 29 yards over the next four games while being basically forgotten about by everybody.

It seems that may have been what Green Bay was hoping for. Adams jumped back into the public consciousness in a big way versus Dallas. He tied Randall Cobb for the team lead in targets (11) while grabbing 7 passes for a team-high 117 yards and 1 TD.

Beyond just the statistics themselves though is exactly how he accumulated them. On multiple occasions — including his touchdown — Adams was able to make his catch before muscling his way out of tackles and gaining huge amounts of YAC (yards after catch).

If he can bring this type of performance into next week, it will serve Green Bay well. Seattle has what many would consider to be the most physical secondary the league has had in at least a decade; they like to play up-close and get rough on opposing receivers.

Showing that he has the strength to force his way through and around defenders gives the Packers at least two viable threats (along with Jordy Nelson) to match the physicality of Richard Sherman and his cohorts in the Seahawks’ secondary while Cobb can hunt for spaces left open underneath the coverage.

Jan 11, 2015; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams (17) catches a pass between Dallas Cowboys defensive back

(26) and outside linebacker

(59) in the third quarter in the 2014 NFC Divisional playoff football game at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

It probably isn’t wise to try to out-muscle the Legion Of Boom as the main part of a gameplan, but knowing that you have players that could give you a chance on plays here and there is definitely useful to an offense’s hopes.

Seeing Adams step up big when called upon — and do so in multiple instances now — should give Mike McCarthy and Co. more confidence in him and what the offense could accomplish in this rematch with the Seahawks.

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