WOODLAND HILLS, Calif. – Sunday will mark the fifth NFC Championship Game appearance of Davante Adams' 12-year career, but the Rams wide receiver has yet to reach the Super Bowl.
That reminder from a reporter in Wednesday's news conference was not lost on him as they prepare for Sunday's game against the Seahawks at Lumen Field in Seattle.
"Just having been here so many times and understanding exactly what it takes to get where we (are) ultimately trying to go," Adams said. "So it's obviously exciting to achieve the minor goals along the way that you ultimately need to do to get where you want to be. But it just feels like, almost like a mythical thing to me at this point. Like, you do everything you can to get there, and it's been so hard, and been working so hard at it.
"We're close. We just got to finish it off."
Adams' four previous NFC Championship appearances all came during his eight seasons with the Green Bay Packers. His best game statistically in that span was the 2019 NFC Championship Game, when he posted nine receptions for 138 yards.
He knows the impact he can make when healthy in games of this magnitude, which is why it was so difficult watching the two teams' previous meeting in Week 16 from the sidelines as he was healing a re-aggravated hamstring injury. That overtime loss caused the Rams to lose control of their own playoff destiny, and the NFC's No. 1 seed, though as Adams noted, the offense still put up excellent numbers in the loss despite his absence. But he still wished he could've been out there especially in the red zone, where he's been a major factor for Los Angeles this season.
"Yeah, I mean, it crushed me," Adams said. "Anytime if I'm in the game and I can't affect it, or if I'm not able to play in the game at all, it's just that helplessness. That type of feeling is not a good feeling as a receiver, especially one that has been relied on a lot in the past to be able to put things together and ultimately get you where you want to be as a team. So just watching, it was tough, especially in the red zone, seeing us kind of struggle the first couple of drives there, getting points, and knowing what I've been able to do, just feeling like I could have changed that. So it's a great team, and obviously we did a great job on offense and put up some unbelievable numbers and all of that. But just my presence out there, I always feel like I can help, whether it's making a play or just affecting the coverage or whatever it is. It's exciting to be able to get another crack at it."
Adams' attitude toward Sunday's game is also shaped by what he has repeated to reporters throughout these playoffs: To forgive him if he's not smiling from ear-to-ear after the first or second win of the postseason.
So far, he's done his part to help he and his teammates get closer to the ultimate goal. Now, it's time to finish.
"He's meant so much, and he's done so many different things that, obviously the stats and what he's done in the red zone (show)," head coach Sean McVay said. "But just the production, and I've mentioned this before, there's a lot of stuff that doesn't go down on the stats that moves our offense forward, with the amount of PI's, contact fouls that he's ended up moving our offense forward, but that doesn't necessarily always go down on the stat sheet. He elicits attention that opens other things up, but also he's a phenomenal leader. I mean, he's got so much wisdom he's willing to share and pour into guys. Think he's added a swag and just an overall charisma and presence. And he's been huge for us."
