Davante Adams did his best to end the conversation around a controversial first down from the Green Bay Packers’ win over the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round of the playoffs on Sunday.
Adams shared a convincing image on his Instagram story, which indicated that, maybe, there shouldn’t have been any controversy. And then for good measure, he added: “Shut up.”
On a third-and-9 with two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Packers needed a first down to put the game away. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers hit Jimmy Graham for a 9-yard gain, with the tight end reaching for the first down line. The officials on the field ruled the play a first down, but the replay showed the call to be incredibly close. The conversation was heated: Did Graham get the first down on the play? Or didn’t he?
Adams pointed to what most folks seemed to be missing: the broadcast’s first-down line was off. So while the TV showed Graham was short of the first-down line, he was actually much closer to it than it appeared.
Davante Adams has evidently found the “additional footage.” pic.twitter.com/trnGK7R1cO
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) January 13, 2020
After an official review of the play, the referee upheld the call on the field. The Seahawks used their third and final timeout, but it was too little, too late. The Packers ran out the clock and won the game, 28-23. They will play the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game at Levi Stadium this weekend.
There was no shortage of bad officiating in the NFL in 2019. It seems this play was not an example of those issues.
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