Deep ball to Davante Adams sparks dominant second half for Packers

The Green Bay Packers trailed by four points and were facing 3rd-and-12 from their own 24-yard line when MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers and All-Pro receiver Davante Adams created a game-changing moment during Monday night’s 18-point win over the Detroit Lions.

A well-designed play from Matt LaFleur, a terrific throw from Rodgers and an incredible catch from Adams combined to produce a 50-yard play that helped spark a dominant second half from the Packers.

LaFleur had Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s aligned to the right of the formation, and the Packers coach and playcaller used Valdes-Scantling’s speed from the slot to occupy the safety and put Adams in a one-on-one situation against Lions rookie cornerback Ifeatu Melifonwu.

Rodgers immediately recognized the one-on-one opportunity and uncorked a perfectly accurate deep ball, and Adams first used a double move to shake free and then late hands – a trick of the best receivers – to make the over-the-shoulder catch along the sideline. By not showing his hands early, Adams allowed the trailing defender no time to disrupt the ball at the catch point.

The All-Pro receiver immediately spiked the ball on the sideline in excitement. Three plays later, Rodgers threaded the needle to Robert Tonyan on a 22-yard touchdown, providing the go-ahead score.

Rodgers said the 50-yard completion was the play that got the Packers going on offense in the second half. Green Bay ended up scoring 21 straight points to overcome the 21-17 deficit and win, 35-17.

After a quiet first half, Rodgers and Adams connected five times for 92 yards in the second half.

The Packers scored on three straight possessions to open the second half. The defense produced five straight stops, including a crucial fourth-down stop after the Packers went up 21-17 and two takeaways once the Packers started running away with the game.

Who knows what direction the game could have gone had the Packers punted from deep in their own territory down four points early in the third quarter. The Lions played a terrific first half and were building confidence on offense.

The Packers turned the entire complexion of the contest with one big throw and a touchdown. Down on the scoreboard for the first time, the Lions lacked the playmakers on offense and the coverage talent on defense to keep up.

Rodgers finished with 22 completions for 255 yards, four touchdown passes, zero interceptions and a passer rating of 145.6. Adams caught eight passes for 121 yards.

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