The controversial infraction came after Taylor grazed the lower part of Aaron Rodgers’ facemask as he tackled the quarterback deep in Green Bay territory at the end of a sequence of lateral passes on what would have been the final play of the game with Detroit ahead 23-21. He had five carries for only four yards. In fact, it took that Hail Mary, a near miracle, for the Packers to even win the game against a losing football team. “It feels like more”.
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While McCarthy said his team earned some time off, the Lions will have to stew over this one for a few days. “Those are the ones that eat at you”.
“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. “It is never over in this league”.
“It’s a hard pill to swallow”. I think the penalty should have been an incidental facemask (5 yards) and not a personal foul (15 yards), but a penalty is a penalty, and Rodgers would have still had a chance for his epic throw.
On Friday, I asked Bill Belichick if there’s any kind of strategy involved in the pass or if it’s more along the lines of its name in that you’re just throwing up a prayer.
Following two incompletions, including one in which Detroit appeared to get away with pass interference, Aaron Rodgers threw a pass to James Jones, who lateraled it to Richard Rodgers, who tossed it back to the quarterback with no one behind him to lateral it again to keep the play alive.
True, Rodgers’ Hail Mary last night was one of the craziest football plays we’ve ever seen, but it’s far from the longest pass in football history.
“I don’t feel as though that’s something I should get into yet”, he said.
Rodgers Sr.’s career has been defined by the The Play, and now one moment will always be attached to his son’s career. The Lions caught Rodgers and tackled him to the ground, effectively ending the game, with no time on the clock.
Whitehead was able to get his hands on Richard Rodgers, but once the Green Bay tight end caught the ball, he wouldn’t allow anyone to jar it loose.
“It’s the complete scenario”, Rock Rodgers said, explaining his stance.
He has now much to Caldwell’s chagrin. With the ball sailing overhead, they were not in a position to defend anything. In 1974, Dallas Cowboys rookie quarterback Clint Longley slung a 50-yard touchdown pass to Drew Pearson on US Thanksgiving Day in 1974. With 8:54 remaining in the third quarter, Matt Prater’s 34-yard field goal gave the Lions a 20-0 lead.
It wasn’t a big enough cushion.
A turning point in the game was the Packers scoring back-to-back touchdowns within 2 minutes in the third quarter, benefiting from two fumbles. Then Julius Peppers forced a fumble, which was converted into Davante Adams’ first touchdown of the year and the deficit was cut to six.
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The Rodgers-to-Rodgers prayer – which really traveled a mind-blowing 65 yards if you consider where Aaron threw it from and where Richard caught it in the end zone – was clearly and cleanly caught by the latter Rodgers.
