“Losing in that fashion, especially with the offense pulling that out, another Hail Mary, is unbelievable”, Green Bay linebacker Clay Matthews said. On a go-ahead drive in the fourth quarter, he drove the Cardinals 80 yards, culminating in a 9-yard completion to Michael Floyd on a tipped pass intended for Fitzgerald.
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Green Bay Packers quarter-back Aaron Rodgers sent the game into overtime with a superb 41-yard touchdown pass that sent the game into overtime, thus prompting the need for a coin-flip to determine the direction each team would play.
With this win, the Cards (14-3) advance to the NFC Championship game for the first time since the 2008 season which is also the last season that they went to the Super Bowl. AND he had to snatch the ball out of the air versus 2016 Pro Bowl/2015 All-Pro cornerback PATRICK PETERSON and his teammate in free safety RASHAD JOHNSON.
Arizona had every right to feel deflated but found victory on the first drive of overtime.
A scrambling Palmer earlier eluded Green Bay defenders to find an unguarded Fitzgerald on a 75-yard pass play that set up the winning score, but only after the Packers forced overtime with two of the most wonderful plays ever made. At least twice, he relied on him to a fault; arguably two of the most ill-advised throws Palmer made were to Fitzgerald, in the fourth quarter.
The Cardinals play the victor of today’s Seattle-Carolina game for the title. He obviously got open and on that play we should have somebody on him if we don’t make a play in the backfield.
“It’s a really high high there, where you tie it up last play of the game and… and then you don’t get to touch the ball in the overtime”, said Rodgers, whose 41-yard prayer as time expired in regulation had been answered by little-used receiver Jeff Janis. He added to that tally by dropping Aaron Rodgers once and being in his face all night. Cobb reportedly suffered a bruised lung, but wide receiver Jeff Janis stepped up in his absence with seven receptions for 145 yards and two touchdowns. If the Seahawks win, Arizona will play at home.
Rodgers said when the Cardinals called timeout before the play, “I figured they were going to bring an empty pressure look, which teams hadn’t done”.
Palmer had to wait until Saturday for his next postseason appearance, and finally got the playoff redemption he’d yearned for with a 26-20 overtime win over the Packers. With the Cardinals on the move again, Palmer tried to hit wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald at the goal line. There are perhaps two other quarterbacks in the league that can get the ball to the end zone throwing the ball with the way Rodgers was set up.
“It left his hand and it didn’t flip over even one half of a flip”, said long snapper Mike Leach, one of the captains out at midfield.
He responded by catching his first National Football League touchdown, an 8-yard grab that gave Green Bay a 13-7 lead with 10:25 left in the third quarter.
– Sure, the Cardinals could have run the ball on second down, right before the two-minute warning and their final field goal.
Fitzgerald finished with eight catches for 176 yards. Antonio Brown, unfortunately, will not play for the Steelers Sunday, but that still puts Fitzgerald ahead of Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, Martavis Bryant, Doug Baldwin, Jermaine Kearse, Julian Edelman, even tight end Rob Gronkowski.
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Left for dead after that 38-8 loss on December 27, the Packers rebooted and came back with the best team and the best effort they could.
