ARLINGTON, Texas -- Davante Adams said he thought Aaron Rodgers went to him on the Green Bay Packers' first play to help his mental state after all he's been through following the vicious hit he took 10 days earlier.
Rodgers then went back to Adams at the end to win the game.
Adams, who was cleared from the concussion protocol on Saturday, caught seven passes for 66 yards and two touchdowns in the Packers' 35-31 win Sunday over the Dallas Cowboys. That included the game-winning 12-yard touchdown with 11 seconds to play.
His first touchdown came on that first drive, the one that started with Adams' 7-yard catch on the Packers' first play.
It was all part of Adams' return from the concussion he sustained on Sept. 28 when Chicago Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan hit him in the head.
"I'd say if anything the first catch on the first play with us on offense was kind of like, I was able to kind of exhale a little bit," Adams said.
When it came time to win the game, Rodgers gave Adams two shots. On the first one, they missed ever so slightly down the left sideline. Adams went right back into the huddle and told Rodgers to run the same play. Adams caught it over rookie cornerback Jourdan Lewis.
"I came back and let him know, I said, 'Throw it again, let's go back to it,'" Adams said. "And he gave me that look and I was like, 'let's do it again' and he threw a perfect ball and I didn't really have to do that much."
Said Rodgers: "I was going to call another play but 'Tae' came back said, 'Call it again.' He said, with his eyes, he just said, 'Throw a better ball.'"
Adams helped win the game with fellow receiver Jordy Nelson on the sideline for the final drive. All Nelson would say was "we all got a little dinged up, but we'll be fine" and coach Mike McCarthy said Nelson was "being evaluated" but wouldn't say what for.
That Nelson spoke after the game suggests he did not have a concussion because players in the protocol are not allowed to speak with the media.
Nelson praised Adams for his ability to mentally step back on the field after such a hard hit.
"There's a lot that can be going through a guy's mind," Nelson said of Adams.
Adams said he remembered everything about Trevathan's hit.
"I had a brief moment where I was a little loopy out there and didn't really remember things until I got into the hospital and things started coming back to me, and I felt good," Adams said. "No headaches or anything throughout the week and I obviously felt like I was able to come out and perform at a high level."
Adams said Trevathan apologized and the two exchanged text messages last week. "I wouldn't say he's a dirty player at all," Adams said. "Over the week you hear a lot about different people's inputs. It's definitely unnecessary. You don't want those type of hits in the game. He's not that type of guy. It was a mistake and I guess that's why they allowed him to appeal."