Green Bay Packer Edge Lions Thanks To Aaron Rodger’s Hail Mary

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers got his birthday present one day late. On a night when his team was outplayed by the Detroit Lions, a questionable face mask penalty and a 61-yard hail Mary pass with no time remaining gave Green Bay the 27-23 win.

Aaron Rodger’s #HailMary

The first half, however, was all Detroit. Matt Stafford threw for two early touchdowns, helping the home team go into halftime with a 17-0 lead. They would strike first in the first half, too, adding a field goal to push the cushion to 20.

Things began to change when Randall Cobb recovered a fumble in the end zone to get Green Bay on the board. Under two minutes later, Rodgers hit pay dirt, completing an eight-yard pass to Davante Adams for another score.

When a Matt Prater field goal capped a nearly eight minute Lions’ drive, it the clock was against the Packers. Needing two scores in less than half of the quarter, their drive nearly stalled at midfield, but an offsides flag on third down helped them push towards the end zone. Rodgers would rush for the score himself and, with the extra point, the Packers only needed a field goal to win.

But even that looked to be a stretch. With the final seconds ticking down, the Packers attempted a desperate series of laterals to reach the end zone. They didn’t come close but a face masking penalty on Detroit gave the visitors one final play with no time left on the clock.

That was all Rodgers needed. After breaking from the pocket, he got the running start he needed and heaved the ball 61 yards to the end zone. It improbably landed in the hands of tight end Richard Rodgers, giving the Packers the win.

 

“I knew I was going to have to buy some time to allow them to get into the end zone,” Rodgers said of the final play. “I knew once I got outside the right that I was going to be able to set up and throw. I’ve never had a completed Hail Mary before.”

The win will undoubtedly provide a lift for a recently slumping Packers team. “Unfortunately, this counts as one win,” head coach Mike McCarthy said. “It feels like more.”

But, despite the win, Green Bay knows they will need to improve in order to make the playoffs and reach their ultimate goal.

“There’s going to be no masking this. We know that we struggled,” Aaron Rodgers said. “We’re inconsistent on offense. We can’t be that type of football team if we want to finish the season where we want to finish the season. We’re 8-4, there’s four games left, and we know it’s about giving yourself an opportunity, getting into the dance.”