With the ball spotted at the Packers’ 39, Rodgers took the snap, scrambled around, heaved up a Hail Mary and, wouldn’t ya know… We should never see defenders playing behind the receivers in the end zone (guarding the end line), even in a normal red zone situation.
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But the most unbelievable thing about the whole thing was the guy who caught the ball, Richard Rodgers. The officials ruled it to be a 15-yard facemask penalty against the Lions and granted Green Bay one untimed down.
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) – Packers coach Mike McCarthy left no doubt about where the team’s no-time-left win in Detroit stands for him.
“You’ve got to box out”, Munnerlyn said Friday about what the Lions defense did wrong Thursday. “And then I saw Rodgers the quarterback throw it to Rodgers the tight end”.
“We had plenty of guys back there”, Caldwell said. Johnson beat cornerback Sam Shields with a toe-tapping, 17-yard grab near the right corner of the end zone.
If the throw had been lower and reached the end zone faster, Richard Rodgers might not have had time to settle under it. But Aaron Rodgers tossed the ball high into the air, and it was clear someone on the Packers (8-4) would have a chance to come down with it in the end zone.
Green Bay guard T.J. Lang (shoulder) and tackle Bryan Bulaga (ankle) were inactive for the game, and center Corey Linsley left in the first half with an ankle injury. For his 21st career rushing touchdown, Rodgers scored from 17 yards out with 3:04 to play in the game.
“The arc on the ball was critical to the success of the play”, McCarthy said, adding that Rodgers’ ability to buy time and escape pressure was just as important. On the previous play, the Packers had tried a short pass followed by laterals. Then there are really big plays. The Packers only had 78 yards of total offense before the break. Going into Thursday’s game, Rodgers – who has been a redzone threat with six touchdowns – was the figurehead of a group of Packers tight ends that was producing at a historically low rate.
In the epic Thursday night battle between Green Bay and Detroit, the Packers were down 20-0 at one point.
“It’s tough to swallow”, Detroit receiver Golden Tate said. The Lions scored on the next play after Quin’s 24-yard interception return. The penalty gets called.
With a running game that faces more uncertainty than ever in the face of whatever it is that is happening with Eddie Lacy, the Green Bay Packers are suddenly in the market for running back help. So maybe we should give the refs a free pass on this one.
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The victory wasn’t all pretty for Green Bay, though-in fact, Rodgers and Co. looked bad for the majority of the night and probably deserved to go home with the L.
