Green Bay Packers

Hail Mary alert: Aaron Rodgers keeps the miracles coming

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 12:00 p.m. ET

Fansided, Raymond Rivard/FanSided via Lombardi Ave

Aaron Rodgers just keeps on doing it … that is coming up with the magical elixer that produces Hail Mary completions.

Don’t ask any other quarterback in the National Football League to do what Rodgers has done over the past two seasons.

It all started last year when he pulled off the first of two Hail Mary pass completions — the first one coming at Detroit. Not only did that first Hail Mary save the season for the Packers, but helped them qualify once again for the playoffs – where he did it again.

When the Packers traveled to Arizona to take on the Cardinals last January in the Divisional Round of the NFC Playoffs, Rodgers first hit wide receiver Jeff Janis on a fourth and forever pass from his own end zone to near midfield.

And with the clock expiring, he once again heaved the ball as high and far as he could – another Hail Mary that was somehow pulled down by Janis to tie that playoff game and send it to overtime.

Well, Rodgers didn’t have another chance to touch the ball in that overtime and we all know how that ended.

But that was last year and this is this year … a season with yet another chance at a Hail Mary completion.

Such was the case Sunday when the Packers found themselves at midfield with the clock running out in the first half.

One may have thought he would have sent a couple of receivers deep and a couple on out-routes near the sideline to pick up some yardage before a possible field goal attempt.

That wasn’t the case, however,

Instead, the Packers sent all their receivers to the end zone, Rodgers dropped back, rolled a bit to the right and sent the ball like a rocket high into the cold air at Lambeau.

In the right place at the right time was Randall Cobb, who separated at the last second from the pack and cradled the ball in his bread basket before dropping to his knees in the back of the end zone to complete yet one more miracle.

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb (18) celebrates with quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) after scoring a touchdown on a hail mary in the 2nd quarter in the NFC Wild Card playoff football game at Lambeau Field. Rick Wood/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel via USA TODAY Sports

How does Rodgers do it?

Well, both Rodgers and head coach Mike McCarthy stated in their post-game press conference that they practice it all the time.

However, Rodgers clarified that by saying the practicing of the Hail Mary is done once per week to “give the defense practice in knocking it down.”

But when pressed about whey he has been so successful of late, Rodgers admitted that it’s probably because he can throw the ball higher and farther than most quarterbacks in the league.

We can only hope that Rodgers never has to throw another Hail Mary in his career, but the fact that he’s been so successful at the task, makes one wonder if the Packers shouldn’t put it in their playbook and run it once per game … just for fun.

What the heck, if it’s intercepted, it’s no worse than a punt. If it’s incomplete, it’s just another pass that didn’t find its target. But if it’s complete, the miracles keep flowing.

This has already been a miracle of a season, given that the Packers were considered dead and buried when their record fell to 4-6 in mid-November.

Things have changed over the past few weeks.

Green Bay is headed to Dallas to take on the Cowboys in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs. While we hope the Hail Mary is not needed in Dallas, we can be sure to be confident that if the need ever arises again, having Rodgers doing the pitching is a good thing.