Hail mary football rodgers
Instead, there was this sort of inevitability. It happened at the end of the first half rather than the end of the game, and the Packers were up 7-6, so there was no desperation involved. This was on my 50th birthday - not that it matters, but it does make the memory more vivid for me. Now the game is tied, let’s go win this in overtime."īy the way, the Packers lost the game in overtime, as Arizona fans will tell you. No, he went up to tackle David Bakhtiari, and his reaction was more like, "OK, obviously that was going to happen. One of the charms of this one was Rodgers’ reaction: He wasn’t jumping up and down and screaming. The ball sailed deep into the end zone, and somebody named Jeff Janis (who caught 17 passes his entire career - two that season) jumped in front of All-Pro corner Patrick Peterson and pulled it in for the touchdown. 16, 2016, in Phoenix, sending the game into overtime. Rodgers launches a Hail Mary at the end of regulation in the NFC divisional playoff game on Jan. There is absolutely no way that a human being under such circumstances can throw a ball 60 or 65 yards in the air, unless that human being is left-handed (see Michael Vick) or Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers turned and raced out to his left, which always makes it tougher for a right-handed quarterback.Īt his own 45 and about to get sacked, he somehow set himself and heaved the ball downfield. Rodgers dropped back and was immediately pressured the Cardinals were not about to rush three and drop everyone else back the way the Lions had. This Hail Mary was not as spectacular or ridiculous - the Packers were on the Cardinals' 41-yard line - but it had its own special charms. This time, the Packers trailed Arizona 20-13 in the NFC divisional playoff with just enough time for one play. Seriously, this happened like a month and a half later. But this one was so perfect, the pass was so outrageous, the catch so uncontested, that it seemed like it worked exactly as planned. Hail Mary passes, by definition, are lucky plays - as Staubach famously said, you throw the pass, and then you pray. The thing that strikes me about this particular Hail Mary is that it didn't feel like luck at all. He easily threw the ball 70 yards in the air and placed it perfectly within the reach of tight end Richard Rodgers, who was somehow left uncovered (sorry again, Lions fans).Īaron Rodgers celebrates with Packers teammates after his last-second Hail Mary beat the Lions on Dec. In the original Hail Mary - Roger Staubach to Drew Pearson against Minnesota in 1975 - Staubach made it clear that he could throw a football only 60 yards in the air (and he actually underthrew the pass, which is why it worked - well, that and probably offensive pass interference).īut Rodgers’ arm is basically unlimited. Rodgers basically had to throw the ball 70 yards in the air to have a real chance at pulling this off.
"Will it get there?" Phil Simms asked, and it was the right question. Rodgers dropped back, was chased left, stopped, ran backward to the 23 to avoid one tackler, worked into the clear and heaved the ball from the 36. The Packers were losing 23-21 and had the ball on their own 39-yard line with time for only one play. Rodgers has completed three successful Hail Mary passes in his career, and each one was glorious. It’s like Javy Báez is the best tagger in MLB history. It’s like Steph Curry is the best last-second-half-court-and-beyond shooter in NBA history. He’s just so good at the Hail Mary, so much better than other people. I don’t know exactly what that says about his greatness as a quarterback, but it surely says something powerful. To me, this is inarguable: Aaron Rodgers throws the best Hail Mary pass in NFL history. The countdown continues today with player No. Posnanski will publish a detailed look at all 101 players on Substack.
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Editor's Note: Throughout the 2021 NFL season, Joe Posnanski will rank the 101 best players in pro football history, in collaboration with FOX Sports.