Aaron Rodgers explains how he throws the perfect Hail Mary

Advertisement

Advertisement
aaron rodgers

Matt Ludtke/AP

Aaron Rodgers on Sunday wowed the NFL world with another perfect Hail Mary.

This one came with five seconds left in the first half  in the Green Bay Packers Wild Card game against the New York Giants.

Leading 7-6 with five seconds left on 4th-and-2, Rodgers rolled out to his right, and from the Packers' 48-yard line, uncorked a pass that lofted out of the camera frame.

Moments later, it came sailing behind a clutter of Giants' defenders and right into the arms of Randall Cobb for the huge touchdown.

Advertisement

After the game, Rodgers explained to ESPN's Dan Graziano how each aspect of his Hail Mary is planned, from where he's throwing the ball from, to how high it goes.

"The high arc is definitely by design. I want to make sure those guys get a chance to get down there and jump. The key is the offensive line giving you a little bit of time. So we just did a little roll to the right, and obviously backside was firm in the protection. By the time I get to the spot on the field where I want to throw it, I'm 100 percent confident that the ball is going to be in a catchable spot. It's just a matter of those guys getting in the right situation, and that's how you draw it up. Obviously, you don't think you're going to catch it every time, but we've been fairly successful with it."

Here's the throw that helped elevate the Packers to the 38-13 win over the Giants.

This is the third such Hail Mary that Rodgers has thrown. Each of them have been remarkable, but perhaps the most famous was an 70-yard bomb against the Detroit Lions that won the game for the Packers as time expired.

Rodgers also produced one in last season's playoffs against the Arizona Cardinals, when he tossed a huge 65-yard pass to tie the game as time expired. Unfortunately for the Packers, they then lost the game in overtime.

Advertisement

It looks like the Packers' contraption to help Rodgers master the deep ball is still paying off.