THE STUFF OF LEGENDS

Rodgers Leads Pack to Last Second Thriller Over Miami and Heat

It just doesn’t get any closer than this. Not only were the Green Bay Packers battling the very game Miami Dolphins they were battling the heat that comes with playing in south Florida as well. Aaron Rodgers has politely answered his critics about not being a 4^th quarter comeback QB with a very loud “Shut up.”

There are heroes and there are legends. And sometimes they two collide at the same point to create something that will exist long after the event has occurred. On Sunday such was the case when Aaron Rodgers added yet another chapter to his voluminous body of work as the he led the Pack to an improbable, heart stopping, exciting, thrilling, exhausting, impossible and no way Hollywood would buy it finish as the Packers and Rodgers wrote a final page that will endure forever in Packer and NFL lore that saw the Pack jolt the Dolphins by a count of 27-24. Forget about last minute heroics… this one can be measured in seconds.

This was one of the regular season games that will stand out long after the players who participated will have left the game. Dan Marino once pulled the same trick Rodgers did by faking a spike only to toss a soft TD. The only difference is Rodgers’ trickeration put the ball at the ‘Fins 3 yard line with 6 seconds to play. And then he tossed a game winning touchdown in the unrelenting, sweltering steam bath.

 The Pack had threatened to play keep away from Ryan Tannehill and the Dolphins dominating the first half time of possession. Green Bay won the TOP battle by controlling the ball for over 37 minutes for the game. The Dolphins struggled in the first half but came out and took advantage of the Packers defense that suddenly went as cold as the thermometer was hot.

The Packers opened the scoring with the NFL’s deadliest combination when Rodgers hit Jordy Nelson from 9 yards out. The Packers defense has been maligned all season in their ability to stop the run game. With each passing game the defense is showing signs that as they mesh as a unit they may turn out to be pretty darn good after all. The Dolphins were held to 112 yards on the ground and their leading rusher was Lamar Miller with 53 yards on 14 carries, good for a 3.79 yards/ carry average. The Pack still resides in the bottom feeding depths of run defenses but are now starting to show they can play the run.

Lost in the paucity of run stoppages is the fact that Green Bay’s defense is a paradox as they lead the NFL in interceptions as well as turnover differential. Casey Hayward made a statement with one of them while Sam Shields snagged another. Hayward’s impact has been a welcome breath of fresh air and if he continues to make the headlines the defense could see itself elevate greatly in the rankings.

Green Bay dominated the first half but held a scant 7 point lead into the half. Miami knotted the score at 10 when Tannehill hit Jarvis Landry for an 11 yard TD strike on the ‘Fins opening drive in the 3^rd quarter.  It looked as if the heat was getting to the Pack as the D appeared sluggish in the 3^rd quarter, their strength sapped buy the 100 degree heat index broiler.  ''We knew this was going to be a tough game coming down here in the heat,'' Head Coach Mike McCarthy said. ''We said we weren't worried about it all week, and we weren't worried. But the fact of the matter is, we are from Wisconsin. So we fought through it.'' Rodgers came to their aid with an 8 minute drive that culminated with a TD to Randall Cobb to put the Pack back on top.

Tannehill has been an up and down, hot/ cold QB since he came into the league. Tannehill began to heat up as the Dolphins took the lead when the hot and cold Tannehill went red hot by leading his own 8 minute drive the ended when Miller went in from the 5 to tie the score at 17. The outcome looked bleak as Tannehill put another TD up on the board when Miami somehow gained the battle of heat exhaustion to go ahead 24 – 17.

Give Mike McCarthy the Brass Cojones Award for going for a field goal and then trusting his defense to shut the Dolphins down after Mason Crosby closed the gap to 24 – 20. Trusting his defense to get the job done not only paid dividends in Sundays’ game it will carry forward as the defense made a statement and stopped the Dolphins. The only asterisk was there were no timeouts left for Green Bay. Micah Hyde’s punt return put the ball on the Packers 40 with just over 2 minutes remaining. Enter Rodgers and the finish that will go right to the top of ESPN’s highlights reels.

No timeouts? Two minutes left? 60 yards and a TD or a loss? What did Rodgers do?

Relax. R-E-L-A-X. He got this.

Cooler than the bottom of an ice cube tray Rodgers once again did the magical and improbable as he did what legends do. He found a way. McCarthy’s play calling, oft times criticized by fans for being too “vanilla” made a bold call on first down as James Starks ran the ball for 12 yards and the 2 minute timeout. These were almost stolen yards and a stolen timeout as Miami was prepared for the pass but it was the run that gashed the defense.

Arguably the biggest hero of the game was an unsung lineman. After missing on 2 passes Rodgers was sacked by the relentless pursuit of Miami’s stud DE Cameron Wake who also stripped the ball from Rodgers’ hand. As Rodgers lay helplessly on the turf he saw the ball, and the game, slowly rolling away from him. Guard T.J. Lang saw the same thing and beat everyone to the grounded and cradled the ball as if it was a baby to save the Packers drive.

On a 4^th and 10 with no timeouts is there a better combination of Rodgers and Jordy Nelson? The pair have developed and almost psychic connection. As Rodgers rolled he found Nelson on the left side and delivered a dart that Nelson grabbed and turned upfield. It looked for a second that Nelson was going to go in until the officials stopped play when Nelson’s right foot caught the chalk on the sideline. The play was still good for 18 yards and a drive saving first down.

Facing 3^rd and 10 with 48 seconds remaining Rodgers hit Starks over the middle for another first down, then Cobb on the left side as the clock continued to close the window on the Packers. Shades of Dan Marino.

Dan Marino’s now legendary fake spike against the Jets in the 80’s is now entrenched in football lore. Until now it has stood alone in the pantheon of otherworldly NFL plays. Until now. Marino did it first but Rodgers’ play will be right next to Marino’s in the history books.

As the Packers scrambled to the line with but 16 seconds left Rodgers got them into formation and set, and as the ball was snapped the linemen simply stood up. Nothing else. They stood up. So did Miami’s line. Rodgers fired a missile to the right to rookie Davante Adams who did not make a rookie mistake as he clawed and fought his way down to the 3 yard line. So many improbabilities in this play. Everyone in the universe expected the spike. The Dolphins offered no resistance until it was too late. Adams stepping up in his first critical situation and coming through. Rodgers trusting his rookie wideout to deliver. ''That was some freestyling right there,'' Rodgers said afterwards.

So rattled was Miami that they called a timeout after Adams was forced out. It scarcely mattered. The inevitable was coming and even the Dolphins knew it. As the Packers went to a 4 wideout spread formation it was a signature Rodgers bullet on an out route that split the ‘8’ and the ‘1’ on Andrew Quarless’ jersey that the former Penn State TE grabbed for what proved to be the game winner. It was ''…One of those games where we were worn out, they were worn out, it comes down to the last drive…'' Rodgers said. ''And we made enough plays.''

For the season Rodgers has thrown 15 TD’s against 1 INT. Afterwards in the chaos and comfort of an air conditioned locker room McCarthy was asked to describe Rodgers. ''I need to work on my vocabulary,'' McCarthy said. ''The guy is a remarkable player.''

Remarkable. And heroic. And legendary.