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Davante Adams had a feeling he was in for a memorable night

Packers receiver sets new franchise playoff record with 160 receiving yards

Packers WR Davante Adams runs a 20-yard reception into the end zone for Green Bay's first score in Sunday's 28-23 victory over the Seattle Seahawks
Packers WR Davante Adams runs a 20-yard reception into the end zone for Green Bay's first score in Sunday's 28-23 victory over the Seattle Seahawks

GREEN BAY – All week, Geronimo Allison saw that look in Davante Adams' eye. Whether it was in meetings, in practice or just around the Packers' facilities, there was an aura surrounding the two-time Pro Bowl receiver.

It was almost like Adams knew he was going to be in for a memorable evening during Sunday's NFC Divisional playoff game against Seattle.

And that sixth sense couldn't have been more spot-on.

Adams not only set a new franchise postseason record with 160 receiving yards against the Seahawks, all eight of his catches were pivotal to Green Bay prevailing 28-23 in front of 78,998 at Lambeau Field.

"He'll tell you – I think he's psychic," Allison said. "Sometimes he has visions and sometimes those visions come to sight. I guarantee a lot of this stuff that took place today, he kind of envisioned it and was able to go out there and execute it."

Seattle had few answers for Adams, who was a four-quarter nightmare to deal with. He scored a 20-yard touchdown on third-and-7 on the opening series of the game after he and Allison faked a rub route. From there, he successfully beat safety Ugo Amadi upfield and to the end zone.

He then caught three straight passes for 41 yards and forced an 18-yard defensive pass interference penalty on Shaquill Griffin to key the nine-play, 75-yard scoring drive that ended with Aaron Jones' 1-yard touchdown run.

However, Adams saved his finest plays for the second half. With the Packers eying man coverage out of a package with three tight ends, Adams beat Seattle's attempt at double coverage with a "filthy" (as Allison called it) post-corner route against Tre Flowers.

Rodgers said afterward he didn't make a great throw on the play, but the high trajectory might have been a blessing. Instead of following the route to the sideline, Adams stopped and turned upfield for the 40-yard touchdown to put Green Bay up 28-10 with 7:21 left in the third quarter.

"Matt (LaFleur), the genius, drew it up out of '13' personnel. We knew we were getting man based off the numbers. It was just on '17' to go out and run a route," Adams said. "Aaron gave me a ball that actually was a little bit high but it was able to stop me. I think I probably would have gotten pushed out of bounds if I kept going. Everything just worked out perfect."

The Packers' offense quieted after Adams' second score, punting on back-to-back possessions in what quickly became a five-point game. A defensive stop gave Green Bay the ball again shortly before the two-minute warning, but Green Bay was again facing a third-and-long when Rodgers asked Adams to make a play.

Rodgers and the offense made the call on the spot. With Adams finding about a yard of separation on a fade route, Rodgers dropped in a perfectly placed ball for a 32-yard completion on third-and-8 for a fresh set of downs.

The play also put Adams in the record book, giving the sixth-year receiver one yard past Jermichael Finley's previous playoff record of 159 yards against Arizona during the 2009 postseason.

"He just trusted me. He said, 'Tae, I need you to make a play here,'" Adams said. "He called out a certain route, I actually ran it a little bit different than what he probably was thinking in his head. So that's why the ball came out a little later because I got out of my route a little sooner than what I should have. But with the separation, the ball was still there, he was able to still have a spot to put it."

Adams felt good about Sunday's matchup for two reasons. First, he played well last year in Seattle, catching 10 passes for 166 yards. Second, Adams had a big performance the last time the Packers had a playoff bye, getting seven catches for 117 yards and a TD against Dallas in the 2014 divisional round.

"We put the world on our shoulders," Adams said. "It's something that we came into this game knowing that it was going to have to be a 12-and-17-type game, one of those ones that we've done in the past.

"So it was something that I kind of reminded him about, and it was something that he threw right back at me – he was already thinking about it. When we get on the same page and we're able to find each other and get on the right wavelength early, I think that it's really tough to beat this team."

Lambeau Field hosted an NFC Divisional playoff game between the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks.

His two touchdowns against Seattle gave Adams six in seven postseason games, tying him for second place in team history behind Antonio Freeman's 10. Adams' third 100-yard receiving game is tied for first in team playoff history with Robert Brooks, Greg Jennings and Freeman.

While Adams said owning the single-game postseason record for receiving yards means the world to him, it's nothing out of the ordinary to those who know the playmaker the best.

"That's what you do. That's an elite wide receiver," Allison said. "You go out there. You hear your number called. You dominate the route and you finish it in the end zone. That's what he did."