Packers: Top three performers from NFC Championship loss
By Jesse Fry
1. Davante Adams
It took a half of football but the Packers finally figured out a way to get their star receiver involved in the game. Davante Adams was all but shut out in the first half having only one target in the game up to that point.
After half time, the Packers made an effort to get him more involved to the tune of nine receptions for 138 yards.
The 49ers were doing a good job of mixing their coverage against Adams. At first, it seemed Richard Sherman would follow Adams wherever he went, but the 49ers backed away from that a bit and allowed others to take him on.
It was Sherman who was on Adams for the Packers’ longest play from scrimmage. With the Packers down 13-34 with just over 10 minutes to play, the team needed a lot of yards and in a hurry.
Adams used his quickness to slide past Sherman and then his speed to get past everyone in the secondary to haul in a perfectly placed ball. Sixty-five yards later, the Packers were down near the 20-yard line and looking to go in for a score.
The Packers couldn’t get much going in the first half and fell behind quickly. Some of Adams’ stats may be due to a soft 49ers defense playing with a big lead. But I can’t help but wonder if the Packers had gone to Adams earlier how this game might have turned out.