GREEN BAY, Wis. -- By the time Davante Adams caught his 65-yard bomb in the fourth quarter of the NFC Championship Game, there were plenty of people who had already lost interest considering the Green Bay Packers trailed the San Francisco 49ers by three touchdowns at that point.
Not Sammy Watkins.
Whether he saw it live or later during his film study, the Kansas City Chiefs receiver took note of how Adams beat 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman on that play and filed it in his memory.
Two weeks later, it helped the Chiefs win the Super Bowl.
It was Jan. 19 with the Packers trailing 34-13 in the fourth quarter against the 49ers, when Adams used a quick step to the inside to beat Sherman for a deep ball that set up a touchdown. It was part of Adams' nine-catch, 138-yard game against the 49ers, although most of that came when the game was out of reach.
Aaron Rodgers' 65-yard completion to Davante Adams is the first deep completion (20+ air yards) allowed by Richard Sherman as the nearest defender this season.
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) January 20, 2020
Sherman vs Deep (Entering Today): 7 targets, 0 rec allowed#GBvsSF | #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/ngevG7I3KX
Watkins used practically the identical move to beat Sherman off the line to set up a 38-yard reception to the 49ers' 10-yard line that led to the go-ahead touchdown with 2:44 left in the game.
Patrick Mahomes' 38-yard deep completion to Sammy Watkins came against Richard Sherman as the nearest defender in coverage.
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) February 3, 2020
Sherman has allowed a deep completion in back-to-back games after having allowed 0 deep completions during the regular season.#SBLIV | #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/pe623Nfz73
In an on-field postgame interview with NFL Network, Watkins credited Adams.
"Man, shout-out to Davante Adams," Watkins said.
Shortly after the clip was posted on Twitter, Adams responded:
Game recognize game!! Respect bro @sammywatkins https://t.co/mrYTe38fdi
— Davante Adams (@tae15adams) February 3, 2020
Watkins, in other postgame interviews, again gave credit to Adams.
"I just knew it was one-on-one [coverage]," Watkins said. "I thank Davante Adams, man, because I [saw] him kill [Sherman] on inside release."
Adams has long been known for his releases at the line of scrimmage, which he credits to his basketball background. He broke it down in a 2018 ESPN feature on NFL Countdown.
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers once said of Adams: "His release patterns are second to none. He has the ability to create separation, in breakers and out breakers. He has enough speed that you have to respect his ability to go over the top. And then he's just a very technical route runner.
"When you combine all of those things, you have a guy who legitimately can get open and catch balls, regardless of who's throwing him the ball."
Sherman didn't have much of an explanation for what happened against Watkins, saying: "He made a play."
One that was aided by Adams.