Jimmy Graham saved his best game as a Green Bay Packer for the biggest stage, and it came against one of his former teams.
Graham, who played in Seattle from 2016-17, caught three crucial passes on third down to help the Packers beat the Seahawks during Sunday’s NFC Divisional Round.
The Packers have paid Graham a little over $22 million over the last two years, and he might have made it all worth it on Sunday night.
His clutch plays helped produce two scoring drives, and his final play all but ended the game.
Graham extended the Packers’ first drive with a 13-yard catch on 3rd-and-8 when he beat Seahawks safety Bradley McDougald in one-on-one coverage. The Packers later went up 7-0 on a 20-yard touchdown pass to Davante Adams.
Graham made another big play to extend the Packers’ first drive of the second half. His 27-yard catch up the seam on 3rd-and-6 helped the Packers answer the Seahawks’ score. Two plays later, Adams caught his second touchdown pass of the night to put the Packers back up by 18 points.
The lead had shrunk to five points when Graham put the dagger in the Seahawks’ comeback. His stumbling 9-yard catch over the middle on 3rd-and-9 allowed the Packers to run out the remaining clock with kneel downs. The spot was reviewed and upheld on replay.
Graham had a quiet second season with the Packers but he performed in big spots on Sunday night.
“I’m pretty happy for Jimmy to have a couple really big impact plays for us,” Rodgers said after. “All his catches, I believe, were on third down, all conversions. He’s a great friend, great teammate and I’m really happy he made those plays.”
Graham finished with three catches for 47 yards. It wasn’t his biggest boxscore game, but it was probably his most impactful game in two seasons in Green Bay.
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