When Week Three of the 2012 NFL season ended with a Monday night game between the Packers and Seahawks that ended with a horrible call on a play that has become known as the “Fail Mary,” we all knew that the undeserved loss for Green Bay and the undeserved win for Seattle were destined to echo in eternity. Or at least into the postseason.
And with the Packers currently tied with the Bears at 8-4 and the Seahawks currently a game ahead of a 6-6 scrum for the six seed, it continues to loom over the playoffs.
As a result, the Packers are still talking about that game, 10 weeks later.
“How can you not?” quarterback Aaron Rodgers told ESPN Radio’s Mike & Mike in the Morning, via ESPN.com. “We’re all human here. That was obviously a difficult moment for us. We’re hoping that we’ve put yourself in a position right now where that’s not going to have an effect on things. We’re not going to use that as an excuse. We have four games left and everything is right in front of us, with a chance to win out, and not only be division champions[but also] also a potential first-round bye. But in some of those quiet moments, of course, you can’t help but think about it.”
For Green Bay, the loss that should have been a win could be the difference between winning the division, or securing a first-round bye. Indeed, if the Packers were 9-3, they’d still be within striking distance of the Falcons for the first overall seed in the playoffs.
For the Seahawks, it currently feels inevitable that the victory will be the difference between qualifying and not qualifying.
In the end, the Packers and the team that finishes No. 7 in the conference likely will be the ones talking the loudest about the situation.