Through the highs and lows, peaks and valleys, the goal has always been the same for Davante Adams: To be considered the best receiver in the National Football League.
Following yet another dominant performance during Thursday's 34-17 rout of the San Francisco 49ers, the Packers' three-time Pro Bowl receiver continues to make a compelling case for that distinction.
Adams caught 10 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown against the 49ers at Levi's Stadium, making him the first player in Packers' history to have 10 or more receptions and 150-plus receiving yards three times in an entire season.
And Adams has only played six games.
What's more, according to the NFL media department, the 6-foot-1, 215-pound receiver is the first player in the Super Bowl era with 50 or more catches, 600-plus receiving yards and at least eight touchdowns in his first six games of the season.
So when asked after the game whether it's safe to say he's the best receiver in the NFL, Adams humbly agreed with the premise of the question.
"I think that's fair to say," Adams said. "I think that's not being conceited; that's just being confident. I think obviously what I've done and what I'm going to continue to do is going to prove that, to anybody who isn't on board with that.
"At the end of the day, I'll tell you yes, absolutely, I think I'm the best wide receiver in the game, but there's a lot of things that go into me being able to make that statement."
Since returning from a two-game layoff due to a hamstring injury, Adams caught 13 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns against Houston, registered his first three-TD day this past Sunday against Minnesota and then came back four days later with another monumental evening against the 49ers.
Adams' first catch of the night might have been his most spectacular as he made a leaping grab in the end zone and managed to land in-bounds for the 36-yard touchdown, his NFL-leading eighth TD catch of the season.
Facing a fourth-and-1 situation in second quarter, quarterback Aaron Rodgers flipped a pass to Adams in the flat. Despite 49ers safety Jamar Taylor being draped on him, Adams still brought in the pass to convert the first down. Later in the drive, Adams drew a defensive pass interference call against Jason Verrett in the end zone prior to Marcedes Lewis' 1-yard TD catch.
With the Packers staked to a 21-3 lead at halftime, Adams effectively closed the book on the 49ers when he broke free down the sideline on third-and-9 for a 49-yard catch, his longest of the season, before stepping out of bounds.
True to form, Adams was again a problem for opposing defenses on third down. He helped convert four of the Packers' six on Thursday night, including a 34-yard reception on third-and-4 when Green Bay was backed up at its own 11 to start the fourth quarter.
"He's such a great player," said Rodgers, who threw four touchdowns against the 49ers. "We hit him with a lot of different things tonight. Hit him on the first possession with a go ball that he made a nice adjustment on. On the last possession we were in on an inside go route. He's so talented, he can do it all, handles himself the right way. Just a joy to play with. A special guy."
Only six games into his season, Adams already has broken quite a few Packers records. Despite being the centerpiece of every defensive coordinator's game plan, Adams is still on pace for 123 receptions, 1,575 yards and 18 touchdowns in only 14 games. All three would be single-season franchise records.
Statistics are the furthest thing from Adams' mind at the moment but it doesn't change the fact he's off to an All-Pro start to his seventh NFL season.
In his postgame Zoom news conference, Adams credited Rodgers for throwing some "perfect" passes. He gave a shout-out to his teammates for their contributions in his success. With the Packers sitting at 6-2 and atop the NFC North, Adams wants to keep doing his part to keep the victories coming regardless of what the statistics in the game book read.
"I truly feel like each year I go out and … show the world, show my teammates and my coaches that I still haven't done everything that I can possibly do," Adams said. "I haven't really taken a step back to look and reflect just yet because I've only played six games and I feel like there's still a lot more to do.
"We'll look up when it's all said and done."
