GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Four months after the fact, the Green Bay Packers continue to insist they didn't purposely avoid Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman in the season opener.

Whether it was a directive from coach Mike McCarthy or a decision by quarterback Aaron Rodgers -- or some combination of both -- the Packers seem unlikely to employ the same strategy in Sunday's NFC Championship Game, given how badly it limited their offense in the 36-16 loss in Week 1 in Seattle.

It was an odd approach, given McCarthy's generally aggressive nature. And it didn't work as the Packers had hoped.

The Packers say they did not avoid Richard Sherman in September's season opener. AP Photo/Stephen Brashear

"My thought was, and I told Jordy [Nelson] in the game plan, just line up on the left side," McCarthy said Monday. "We thought Richard would come over there and play him on the left side. OK, it didn't happen, and how the game sorted out and things like that, and the ball went where it went was just really how the game was played. There was never a 'Don't throw right' in the game plan."

Nelson had a productive night on that left side with nine catches for 83 yards (although his longest gain was just 16 yards) but cutting the field in half didn't help the offense. Rodgers attempted 33 passes, and 23 of them were targeted at either Nelson or Randall Cobb (six catches for 58 yards). Rodgers' 23 completions were spread among just five players, two of whom were running backs.

"I think we've played a lot differently since then," McCarthy said.

How far has his offense come?

Ten times in the past 16 games, including Sunday's 26-21 win over the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC divisional playoff round, the Packers have had at least seven players catch passes. Three of those times, Rodgers spread the ball among eight receivers, and one time -- in the Week 7 win over the Carolina Panthers -- he found nine.

Rookie receiver Davante Adams played only nine of the 62 offensive snaps in the opener. Against the Cowboys, he played all but seven of the 68 plays and caught seven passes for 117 yards and a touchdown.

Rookie tight end Richard Rodgers didn't catch a pass against the Seahawks or in any of the first three games of the season. In his past three games, he has eight catches, including the 13-yard touchdown catch against the Cowboys that ended up as the winner.

"I think we're better; I think they're better," Packers offensive coordinator Tom Clements said Monday. "As the season goes along, teams get better."

And teams change their game plans, too.

In the opener, it was Jarrett Boykin who lined up on Sherman's side of the field most of the time. Boykin played 49 snaps and not only didn't catch a pass, he didn't have one thrown his way. Boykin barely plays anymore and finished the season with as many drops (three) as catches (three for 23 yards).

This time, it might be Adams' turn over there.

"He'd be a great matchup," Nelson said. "He's growing his understanding of the game, the speed of the game. He's got great quickness, great hands, so he'd be ready for that matchup."

Adams interacted with Sherman, a noted trash-talker, a few times during the opener, but there wasn't a whole lot of chatter.

"He didn't say anything," Adams said. "Actually, I said something to him about it. One of my pre-draft visits was over there and I was hanging out with him a little bit and I already knew the type of guy he was. I went over there and asked him where all the talking was. He was like, "There's nothing to talk about.' "

Adams couldn't argue the point.

And after the opener, Aaron Rodgers said he told Sherman that he hopes he gets some work this season.

It's now time to see if the Packers will provide that.

"We'll have a plan, and we'll develop it and implement it," Clements said.

When asked whether that plan would include throwing at the Seahawks' All-Pro cornerback, Clements said: "Well, we'll have a plan for the Seahawks, and we're in the process of developing it."