NFL Roundtable: Did Refs Or Lions Blow Packers Hail Mary?
By Erik Lambert
Dec 3, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (not pictured) completes a touchdown pass to tight end Richard Rodgers (82) during the fourth quarter with no time remaining against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Two days later and the buzz is still fresh from what happened on Thursday Night Football, watching the Detroit Lions blow a 17-0 halftime lead to the Green Bay Packers, who beat them with zero seconds left on a 61-yard Hail Mary for a touchdown. It sparked a serious debate about how such a thing could’ve happened, and who was at fault. So the Mocks crew conducted an NFL roundtable to find the real culprit.
Shawn Spencer:
The Lions were at fault for two reasons. One, Calvin Johnson wasn’t in the game to knock down the pass. He’s been used in that situation before and his injury can’t be used as an excuse since he played through it the entire game. Second, there was no one in front of the play. The defense made a wall behind the receivers, rather then boxing them out.
Rodney Stokes:
The Lions definitely screwed this one up. If you watch the video the Packers essentially created a wall and prevented any defensive players from getting through. There’s a good chance that even if Rodgers isn’t there to make that catch somebody else would. There’s no excuse for that.
Matthew Holowiak:
I’m going with the refs here. Clearly was not a grab of the face mask and Rodgers was taken down by his shoulder pad. Making that a 15 yard penalty put the packers in a position to even attempt that Hail Mary throw. The game should have ended with a good defensive play by the Lions sacking Aaron Rodgers.
Erik Lambert:
This was a game of two mistakes. While the foul itself wasn’t egregious, the referees nonetheless made a mistake. It was not a facemask penalty even though the league has since ruled the call itself was fine. There never should have been an extra play. However, Detroit deserves just as much credit for how it ended.
You have one of the greatest wide receivers of all-time in Calvin Johnson, a 6’5″ monstrosity who has made a living of outjumping everybody for footballs, and you don’t plug him in for that play? Nevermind the fact that the Lions coaches didn’t recognize Aaron Rodgers had enough of an arm to throw the pass to the end zone and enough mobility to escape a paltry three-man rush. It was a monumental blunder that they payed dearly for.