Packers beat Lions 27-23 on Rodgers-to-Rodgers Hail Mary

And we already noted the Jones’ grab late in the game, but it was impressive the young receiver was able to pull in the rocket away from his body.

“I love what I do”.

The Detroit Lions closed in on Aaron Rodgers, and there was nobody nearby he could lateral to. He stepped up toward the line of scrimmage and let it fly.

When he caught it I blacked out.

“When I jumped I expected someone to hit me or grab my arm but it never happened”, said Richard Rodgers. He boxed out the Lions’ defenders.

“Richard’s the flawless guy for that type of situation with his big body and ability to go up”, Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. It most certainly looked like the Packers were going to have a chance to win at the end, but they were obviously going to fall short. With all the time in the world to throw, he launched a high-arcing pass that looked like a kickoff in flight.

In the past, Caldwell has used Johnson as a defensive back against Hail Mary plays, but chose not to do so this time.

Richard Rodgers caught eight passes for 162 yards for Green Bay, which had its 56-game streak of scoring in the first half snapped as they rallied from a 20-point deficit.

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers finds TE Richard Rodgers for 26-yard gain against the Lions at Ford Field Thursday night. He was intercepted once. The gain of 29 yards helped the Lions trim down the clock.

Caldwell said they were ready for a big game. We know that feeling … “What’s done is done”.

The Lions used just a three-man rush on the play.

Prater’s 42-yard field goal restored a two-score lead for the Lions with 7:06 left.

Rodgers was then picked off by free safety Glover Quin after he overthrew wide receiver James Jones. No other receiving threats and no running game to speak of.

Although the Lions’ four remaining games are against teams with losing records, wedging their way into the playoff conversation will be almost impossible at this rate. However, Johnson was otherwise held in check after his three-touchdown performance against Philadelphia on Thanksgiving. Justin Perillo was a factor as well, totaling 58 yards and a TD on five catches.

Detroit went ahead 17-0 after its first three drives and capped the opening possession of the third quarter with a field goal to go ahead 20-0.

Eifert hurting: Bengals TE Tyler Eifert missed practice again, per the team’s official website, and he is questionable “at best” for Sunday’s game against the Browns.

-DE Devin Taylor was one of the early stars for the Lions, but he wound up as their goat.

The penalty gave Rodgers a chance for one more untimed play and a Hail Mary to the end zone, and the Lions defended it poorly.

“I’m not real happy when the offense gets the ball”, the Green Bay coach said. “The ref called what he called, there was nothing I could do about it.. This was a team that was rolling in the first half.

Coming off a 13-point outing last week against the Chicago Bears, Green Bay stumbled hard out of the gate.

The Packers appeared dead in the water and headed for back-to-back losses against NFC North foes, but the narrative has shifted completely thanks to the Rodgers-to-Rodgers connection.