Mike McCarthy: Packers’ Play Better Than Fail Mary Because “Our Guy Really”

After rushing for 100 yards or more in back-to-back games, the Green Bay Packers made the somewhat surprising decision to significantly reduce running back Eddie Lacy’s role in the offense Thursday night.

Aaron Rodgers could not remember ever completing a Hail Mary pass during a game but he will never forget the one he threw on Thursday, a play that might have saved the Green Bay Packers’ season. Touchdown. Game over. The Packers won 27-23. The Patriots remain Super Bowl favorites at 14/5, while the Panthers are 11/2, the Cardinals are 6/1 and the Broncos are 8/1.

Now the trick for Green Bay will be keeping the momentum from the “Miracle in Motown” as they wait a week and a half before welcoming the Dallas Cowboys to Lambeau Field. That gave the Packers another play with time expired. He had a career-high two sacks along with three tackles, one for loss and a forced fumble.

However, with the ball spotted on the Packers’ 39 because of the penalty and referee Carl Cheffers announcing that the Packers would have another down, the Rodgers-Rodgers combination worked its magic.

The same can be said for several Lions players as the team built a 20-0 lead in the third quarter before the Packers mounted their miraculous comeback. “I knew I could catch it when the ball left his hand”, Rodgers said. The one who is now 4-8, and who appeared to lock down the game at the beginning, and seemingly pinned Green Bay’s defense back for good, and then had the Packers on their own 21-yard line with five seconds left on the clock.

The younger Richard Rodgers – and Aaron Rodgers – both went to Cal as well.

Three weeks ago, Dumervil took a costly, 15-yard facemask penalty on a freakish final play of the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, a play that set up kicker Jason Myers’ 53-yard, game-winning field goal on an untimed final down.

“He had [the lateral] and he caught the winning touchdown”, said the father, an assistant defensive backs coach for the Panthers.

“All I saw was the dude catching the ball”, cornerback Darius Slay said. “It’s a really special moment for him and I was kind of thinking on the play before, when Aaron got the facemask, I was kind of thinking we would do something like that”.

Coach Mike McCarthy referenced the design after the game-receivers a few yards deep, with Richard Rodgers just outside the end zone.

At first, it looked like the Lions were going to force Rodgers left.

DEFENSIVE PUSH: Green Bay’s banged-up offensive line is in rough shape. If the Vikings win and tie the Packers, the season series would be tied (first tiebreaker) and they would have the division record tiebreaker.