Packers 28, Seahawks 23: 2-minute drill

January 13, 2020
|In Packers
|By Zach Heilprin

GREEN BAY — For the fourth time since 2010, the Green Bay Packers will play in the NFC Championship Game. That’s after running back Aaron Jones and wide receiver Davante Adams scored twice and the defense held off quarterback Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks for a 28-23 win in the Divisional Round of the NFC playoffs at Lambeau Field.

Game Balls

Offense: Davante Adams

The Packers targeted Adams early and often Sunday night and he delivered. The veteran, long thought of as one of the best route runners in the NFL, showed that on his first touchdown of the night. He took cornerback Tre Flowers inside on what was a fake rub route before breaking back out and Aaron Rodgers found him for an easy 20-yard score. Then, in the third quarter, the two hooked up again for a 40-yard touchdown on another beautiful route from Adams. And then, with Green Bay facing a third-and-8 with 2:19 left and clinging to a 5-point lead, Rodgers dropped a dime on Adams for a 32-yard gain.

Adams ended up with a Packers’ playoff record 160 yards on eight catches and two scores. He also got all the praise in the world from Rodgers afterwards.

“He was on one tonight,” Rodgers said. “He was really crisp with his route running. Just one of those special nights.

Defense: The Smiths

The two free agent additions once again played a big role in helping the Packers get a win. Za’Darius Smith had a pair of sacks and spent much of the first half in the Seahawks backfield. Then, in the second half, it was Preston Smith’s turn. He came up with two sacks, including a huge one on the final Seattle possession that forced a Seattle punt.

The duo combined for the four sacks, eight quarterback hits and two tackles for loss.

Best tweets

Best quotes

Rodgers on his connection with Adams:

“Tonight reminds me of the connection Jordy Nelson and I had for so many years where there were some unspoken things we could do without even communicating anything about it. Davante made three or four plays like that tonight. It was pretty fun.”

Rodgers on the two replay reviews

“We kind of got hosed on that first quarter one, so I was hoping we didn’t get hosed again.”

In Case You Missed It

— The game drew several big names to it, including Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis and rapper Lil Wayne. The latter lead the Lambeau Field crowd in a rousing rendition of “Roll Out the Barrel.”

— It appeared the Packers had recovered a fumble at the Seahawks 36-yard line on their first drive of the game, but the officials determined there was no clear recovery by Green Bay. The league sent out a tweet explaining the decision.

But a TV replay suggested there was a clear recovery.

— That was not the only controversial call in the game. The other came on third-and-9 late in the fourth quarter and the Seahawks needing a stop for one more chance to win the game. Instead, Rodgers found Jimmy Graham for what was called a 9-yard gain and the game-clinching first down. The play went to review and officials upheld the call.

— Wide receiver Allen Lazard suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter and did not return.

— Cornerback Chandon Sullivan (back), cornerback Kevin King (head/neck), defensive lineman Tyler Lancaster (arm/shoulder) and outside linebacker Preston Smith suffered injuries but did return.

— Six players were listed as questionable coming into the game due to an illness going around the team. Three of them were inactive — Danny Vitale, Dexter Williams and Josh Jackson. One was active and played — Tyler Lancaster. Two others were active and did not play — Bryan Bulaga and Alex Light.

— Jared Veldheer started in place of Bulaga at right tackle. It was his first start of the season and it came after he unretired midway through the season. Aaron Rodgers joked with Veldheer during the game about him being retired and now starting a playoff game. Veldheer informed him he was actually in the stands for the Packers opener against the Bears in Chicago.

Inside the Numbers

6 — That’s how many postseason touchdown receptions Adams has in his career. It’s tied for the second-most in Packers history

4 — That’s the number of NFC title game Rodgers has led the Packers to. All of them have been on the road.

0-4 — That’s Russell Wilson’s record in Wisconsin since coming into the NFL in 2012. His last win in the state came as the Badgers starting QB on Nov. 26, 2011 against Penn State.

155.8 — That was Rodgers’ quarterback rating on third down against Seattle.

64.3 — That was Green Bay’s third-down conversion rate on Sunday. Coming into the game, the Packers were converting just 36-percent of their third downs.

3 — That’s how many catches Jimmy Graham had. All of them came on third down and went for first downs, including the game-clinching one just after the two-minute warning.

What’s Next

Green Bay will travel to San Francisco next Sunday to play for a trip to Super Bowl LIV. Kick is at 5:40 p.m.