Dangerfield did his best to inspire the struggling Crows two minutes into the second quarter, kicking one of the goals of the season so far.
The bullish onballer won the ball at half-back and set off on a run through the middle of AAMI Stadium.
He took three bounces and burned off several Fremantle opponents, including speedster Stephen Hill before launching a kick from outside 50m at full speed.
The ball stayed low and cleared the goal line to give the home side a much-needed spark.
"It was a bit of a fluke," a modest Dangerfield said after the game.
"But at the end of the day it was a team sport and we weren't good enough as team today."
To prove the goal of the year contender was anything but a fluke, Dangerfield nearly repeated the effort 15 minutes later.
The dashing 21-year-old left a disbelieving Hill in his tracks once again, taking another couple of bounces before shooting for goal.
Unfortunately, this time the ball missed narrowly to the left and a behind was the result.
Dangerfield finished the game with 25 possessions, five clearances, seven inside 50ms and 1.1.
However, his heroics weren't enough to help Adelaide out of its first-half slump and after the game, coach Neil Craig said the team had been too reliant on the young tyro.
"We would be guilty of relying on an individual today with Patrick Dangerfield," Craig said.
"Patrick had kicked a sensational goal and recognition to Patrick for having the want and desire try and generate that, but we can't rely on individuals to win matches for us."
The Crows' disappointing performance against Fremantle was a stark contrast to the way they finished the game against Hawthorn in round one.
The home side lacked run and intensity in the first half against Freo and managed only two goals to trail by 32 points at the main change.
Adelaide had to wait two weeks between games because of a round-two bye, but Dangerfield denied the weekend off had contributed to his team's poor showing on Saturday.
"There are no excuses for how we performed," he said.
"We played brilliantly two weeks ago and to not back it up when we've had the break, especially because we felt fresh is really disappointing for us.
"We were so poor in the first quarter we were playing catch-up footy for the rest of the game. Freo are a good side and you can't afford to do that against them and expect to be let back into the game."
