Another passing grade for Rodgers
Aaron’s Hail Mary magic propels Packers to showdown with Dallas
They boxed us out better than we played it. It was a heck of a throw, heck of a catch” Ben McAdoo, Giants coach
Aaron Rodgers, master of the Hail Mary pass, struck again in another big moment on Sunday.
Rodgers overcame a sluggish start and finished with four touchdown passes, including a momentumswinging 42-yard heave to Randall Cobb at the end of the second quarter, to lead the Green Bay Packers to a 38-13 win over the New York Giants in their NFC wild-card game.
The Packers move on to face the Dallas Cowboys in the divisional round.
Rodgers was 25 of 40 for 362 yards, continuing a remarkable run of quarterbacking that helped the Packers win their final six games of the regular season to take the NFC North.
Cobb finished with five receptions for 116 yards and three TDs.
For much of the first half, the Giants’ defense flustered Rodgers. They got pressure on the two-time league MVP and the secondary blanketed the Packers’ talented receiving corps. A few boos even rained down from the stands after New York opened up a 6-0 lead on a pair of field goals by Robbie Gould.
As it turned out, Rodgers was just getting started.
“We hit a Hail Mary. That got us going,” Rodgers said.
Green Bay scored two touchdowns in the final 2:20 of the second quarter, punctuated by another remarkable desperation pass by Rodgers.
With the ball on the Giants’ 42, he took the snap with six seconds left, rolled to his right and gunned a throw from the Packers’ 47. Cobb somehow got behind three defensive backs near the back of the end zone to haul down the pass, getting both feet down before falling out of bounds.
“They boxed us out better than we played it,” Giants coach Ben McAdoo said. “It was a heck of a throw, heck of a catch.”
The Giants looked stunned, just like how the Detroit Lions and Arizona Cardinals looked last season after Rodgers pulled off similar feats.
“Davante (Adams) made a bunch of plays,” Rodgers said. “And Randall Cobb, who this offense has been missing for a long time.”
Rodgers and Cobb weren’t done.
They connected again on a 30-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter for a 21-13 lead. That score answered a Giants scoring drive that briefly cut the deficit to one point.
“Second half we got back to some rhythm throws and I was getting better on my timing, getting the ball out of my hand quickly,” Rodgers said.
“No negative-yard plays, the offensive line blocked really well, regardless of the stats.”
A Green Bay defense ranked 21st in points-allowed (24.3) coming into the game limited the production of Odell Beckham Jr. and the Giants’ receivers, in spite of a battered secondary.
Beckham finished with four catches for just 28 yards. Eli Manning was 23 of 44 for 299 yards, including the 41-yard touchdown pass to Tavarres King in the third quarter.
“It’s a game of inches, and we were just inches short on some of these plays, inches away from big plays,” Beckham said.
Rodgers began dissecting the secondary after coach Mike McCarthy had his quarterback roll more outside the pocket, and the Packers started working the middle of the field.
Cobb had a big night after missing the last two games of the regular season with an ankle injury. Adams had eight receptions for 125 yards and a score.
Top receiver Jordy Nelson was knocked out of the game with 11 minutes left in the second quarter with a rib injury.
Green Bay will play at Dallas on Jan 15 in a rematch of a Week 6 game at Lambeau Field, which the Cowboys won 30-16.