In his first two professional seasons, Davante Adams did not get off to the pass-catching fast start the Packers expected after making him the 53rd overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, when they envisioned him stepping in and making an offensive impact like a Greg Jennings, James Jones or Jordy Nelson.

His rookie year was quiet and unremarkable, 38 catches for 446 yards and three touchdowns. He took a step back in his sophomore campaign, which was dogged by drops (six, tied for 12th-most in the league) and injuries (three games missed), finishing with 50 catches for 483 yards and just one score. At times, he showed promise – the seven-catch, 117-yard and one-touchdown playoff performance against Dallas in 2014 stands out as one of the few glimpses of his great potential those first two years – but largely Adams was inconsistent and a nonfactor in Green Bay’s passing game. There was even some talk before this season about whether he’d make the final roster, given the supposed glut of talent at wide receiver.

Well, Adams kept working and the Packers stuck with him, and it’s a good thing they did. The third-year wideout has become Green Bay’s best offensive weapon, a dangerous deep threat and dependable pass-catcher who has broken out over the last six games and came through when the team needed him most in Monday night’s 27-13 win in Philadelphia. With five receptions for 113 yards (a ridiculous 22.6-yard average) and two crucial scores against the Eagles, Adams helped the Packers snap their four-game losing streak and keep their flickering playoff hopes alive. He made the two biggest plays of the game, catching an incredible 20-yard touchdown pass through an impossibly tight window from Aaron Rodgers and later hauling in a beautiful 50-yarder that was Green Bay’s second-longest gain of the season.

Through 11 games, Adams has already established career highs in catches (58), yards (776) and touchdowns (eight), and he’s leading the Packers with 14 receptions of 20-plus yards, providing a much-needed option over the top. And this season, he’s getting it done practically mistake-free. In Adams’ first two years, he had catch percentages of 57.6 and 53.2; in 2016, he’s up to 67.4 percent, with only two drops.

After the victory over Philadelphia, Adams talked to ESPN’s "Monday Night Football" crew about the adversity he faced and overcame in those first two challenging seasons. Clearly, he’s gained the all-important trust of Rodgers, who before year heaped praise on the player head coach Mike McCarthy called the Packers’ Offseason MVP. And this season, Rodgers has targeted Adams more than any other player – even favorite receiver Jordy Nelson – over the past six games.

Nelson said Monday night that Adams is past the point of needing to build on strong performances, asserting that he’s now established himself as a premier player.

"I think we can get rid of the how important it is for (Adams) – he’s out here making plays every week," Nelson said. "He’s a playmaker. He’s growing each and every week. The confidence between him and Aaron is growing big-time."

Added McCarthy: "Davante Adams was key for us. The one-on-one opportunities that he had, he won big, and he won at big times, too. Davante is playing the best football of his career."

It’s become obvious how vital Adams is to the Packers (5-6). In every game they’ve won, he’s caught a touchdown pass; when he has at least 50 receiving yards, they’re 4-2. Against the Eagles, he did everything. Adams ran picture-perfect routes, including a crisp slant on the 12-yard touchdown on Green Bay’s first drive; he showed laser focus, especially on the 20-yard score in the second quarter, which Nelson called, "probably one of the most difficult catches a receiver could ever make"; and he was unfailingly reliable, coming down with five of the six passes thrown his way.

If the Packers, currently in third place in the NFC North and tied for 10th in the conference, are going to make a late charge for the playoffs, they’ll need Adams to continue being the difference-maker, along with Nelson, that Rodgers needs. Next week, Green Bay hosts Houston and its fifth-ranked pass defense; after that, the Packers face Richard Sherman and the Seahawks’ stingy secondary; and then a trio of games against divisional foes, all of whom are in the top half of the league in pass defense.

Adams, for one, is confident.

"We just need to take this, snowball it over into the next week and then the next week after that," he said. "The rest of this season is really crucial and we know that. We have all the tools and everything right in front of us."

But the Packers’ win over the Eagles on Monday Night Football was about more than just Davante Adams. So here's everything else you need to know, or just forgot, or missed because you’d already given up, plus all kinds of other wacky whatnots, from Green Bay's Week 12 win over Philadelphia.

Who starred?

This goes to the man throwing to Adams. Rodgers was superb in Philadelphia – decisive, accurate, in command, nearly flawless and devastating with a few sublime throws few other quarterbacks can make. Rodgers and the Packers came out fast, thanks to a smart short passing game, and that got the offense in a good rhythm it’d maintain the entire night. With a flurry of completions underneath and in the flat, Rodgers looked like the precise two-time MVP of old, ultimately opening up the tight windows for surgical strikes like the 20-yard touchdown and 50-yard completion to Adams.

Rodgers completed 30 of 39 attempts for 313 yards – his third straight game of at least 300 passing yards – with two touchdowns and no turnovers for a 116.7 rating. He also was not sacked. After suffering a third-quarter hamstring injury that had him retreating to the privacy a strange on-field tent, Rodgers played through the pain and afterward said, "I’ll be good to go" for next week. Obviously, whatever chances Green Bay still has of making the playoffs rest on the health and peerless play of No. 12.

Who stunk?

James Starks isn’t getting the job done. He rushed 17 times for just 41 yards against Philadelphia, the sixth game out of seven he’s played in which his average was less than 2.9 yards per carry. He’s a decent receiver out of the backfield – catching two touchdown passes in the previous two games – but he’s not quick enough to give Green Bay anything substantial on the ground.

Plenty of words have been typed about the injuries and ineffectiveness at running back – Eddie Lacy is out for the season with an ankle injury, Starks missed more than a month because of knee surgery, Knile Davis was acquired via trade and quickly released, Don Jackson was promoted from the practice squad and then placed on IR, wide receivers Ty Montgomery and Randall Cobb have played snaps in the backfield, etc. – but at this point, it’s time to try something different.

Indeed, the Packers had something different available Monday night: former Seattle running back Christine Michael, whom they signed last week. After saying over the weekend that he’d been studying his playbook "like crazy" and felt ready to "contribute a lot" against the Eagles – and with McCarthy asserting, "It would be nice to have him part of our rotation come Monday night – Michael oddly only got one carry, which he took for four yards. The 26-year-old is a better runner than Starks and just as good a receiver; look for his role – hopefully – to increase going forward.

Unsung hero

The entire defense. Coming off a horrendous four-week stretch when they allowed an average of 38.3 points per game, but facing an nonthreatening opposing offense and with improved health, Green Bay’s defense was due for a statement performance. It made that Monday night, with strong overall play, from the reawakened pass rush to the once-again-stout run defense to the bolstered and refreshingly competent secondary.

The Packers allowed their second-fewest points of the season, gave up only 292 total yards – including just 81 rushing – and had four sacks and an interception against Eagles rookie quarterback Carson Wentz. Playmakers made plays (Clay Matthews, Julius Peppers, Nick Perry and Mike Daniels each had a sack; Ha Ha Clinton-Dix had the pick); cornerback Damarious Randall returned from his groin injury and reinforced the defensive backfield, leading the team with seven tackles and a pass defensed; and the secondary didn’t allow a completion of more than 24 yards, while giving up just 211 total passing yards.

McCarthy score

(Mike McCarthy isn't renowned for his play-calling, having fired and then rehired himself for that role last year, but he does try his best. Here we rate his coaching performance, on a score from one to 10 McCarthy heads.)

After weeks of griping about weird timeouts, conservative play-calling and uninspired game-planning, let’s keep this simple: McCarthy coached a good game Monday night. He didn’t burn timeouts with the opponent driving and trying to score; he utilized the aforementioned short, spread-out passing attack to diversify the offense and get Rodgers and Co. going early; Green Bay capably converted 10 of 14 third downs, as well as an aggressive fourth-down call in the fourth quarter. You would have liked to see Michael get more opportunities, but that’s the only real gripe.  

With their backs against the wall and desperate for a win, McCarthy had his team prepared, and it came out fast and fierce. It was one of the Packers’ most complete performances. Eight heads.

One-word reaction

Maaaaayyybeee?

Dumb #hottake

The Packers won a game, so all is fixed and everything is fine. They’re getting hot at the right time and will ride their magical momentum through the playoffs to the Super Bowl.

Good quote

"We hadn’t played a complete game yet, maybe this season, so this was a great effort in all three phases for us. Just to get off the schneid … it’s been a rough stretch. We’re human, so you lose a few in a row and the doubt starts to creep in whether you can really finish one of these games off. This was great for our confidence." – Aaron Rodgers

Best photo

Encouraging thing

As Rodgers said, the Packers finally played a game in which, for all four quarters, all three units – offense, defense and special teams – performed well. In previous weeks, the team didn’t completely click – when the defense was good early in the year, the offense struggled; when the offense was productive, the defense was sloppy or special teams made mistakes. It was an all-around impressive display.

Alarming thing

Green Bay’s two signature players, Rodgers and Matthews, both got hurt against the Eagles. They were ostensibly minor injuries – Matthews’ shoulder was slammed into the ground in the first half and he had to miss a few snaps; Rodgers’ tweaked his hamstring on a hit in the second half – and both stars were able to return. Still, it was worrisome to see the Packers’ penchant for unfortunate injuries affect the integral Rodgers and Matthews.

Looking ahead

After snapping their four-game losing streak and concluding their three-game road swing, the Packers return home for their next two contests. On Sunday at noon (CBS), Green Bay hosts Houston, which is in first place in the weak AFC South but has lost two in a row, and the Packers will try to keep the good times rolling against a Texans team with the league’s fourth-worst offense and fifth-best defense. After that, it’s a showdown with the Seahawks at Lambeau Field.