Richard Rodgers hauled in a 68-yard rainbow Hail Mary throw from Aaron Rodgers on the final play of the game to give the Green Bay Packers a stunning last second victory over the Detroit Lions on Thursday night.
It seems fitting that Golden Tate was on the opposing sidelines.
Sixty minutes had elapsed and the Packers still trailed the Lions 23-21. However, a questionable facemask call against Aaron Rodgers by Devin Taylor gave Green Bay an untimed down and one shot at a Hail Mary from the Packers 39-yard line.
Rodgers evaded pressure from Taylor and Jason Jones in the backfield before lofting the ball toward the ceiling of Ford Field from the Green Bay 35-yard line. The Lions didn’t have anyone covering Rodgers, who leaped and high-pointed the ball three yards deep in the Detroit end zone for the game-winning 61-yard touchdown.
It was a stunning conclusion to the game that kept the Packers from being handed their fifth loss in six games.
A 42-yard field goal from Matt Prater gave the Lions a 23-14 lead after a 13-play drive burned 6:29 off the clock.
Rodgers then led the Packers for their third touchdown drive in four possessions in the second half. A 16-yard pass to Randall Cobb on 4th-and-1 kept the drive alive and a 26-yard dart to Richard Rodgers moved the Packers inside the Lions’ 30-yard line.
Rodgers then scrambled for a 17-yard touchdown on 3rd-and-11 to close the gap to 23-21 with 3:04 left to play.
Stafford hit T.J. Jones for 29 yards on a great throw that just whizzed past the outstretched arm of Quinten Rollins for a a crucial conversion on 3rd-and-12. The connection to Jones kept the Lions ensuing possession alive and the ball out of Rodgers’ hands.
The Packers eventually got the ball back with 24 seconds left and no timeouts. Taylor’s tackle of Rodgers at the Packers 24-yard line seemed to end the game until the facemask call gave Green Bay one final chance.
Green Bay lamented losing on the ‘Fail Mary’ in Seattle in 2012. Now they have their own version to relish.