Aaron Rodgers boasts quite the collection of hardware over his NFL career: 10 Pro Bowls, four MVP awards and one Super Bowl ring, to name just a few. But he also has emerged as perhaps the greatest Hail Mary threat in NFL history.
Rodgers did it again Monday night in the New York Jets' 23–20 loss to the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium, tossing up a prayer before halftime that was answered via Allen Lazard's 52-yard touchdown grab. It was the fourth Hail Mary of his career and his first since 2017.
Whether it's due to good luck or great talent or a combination of both, Rodgers is the NFL's undisputed Hail Mary king. So, without further ado, let's rank all four of his dramatic touchdown heaves:
4. Jan. 8, 2017: Playoff magic vs. Giants
The Packers' offense couldn't get much going in their 2017 wild-card round matchup against the New York Giants—until the final play of the first half.
With six seconds left in the second quarter, Rodgers planted his feet a few yards behind midfield and chucked up a Hail Mary pass. It inexplicably missed the big pile of bodies in the end zone and landed in the hands of Randall Cobb, who tapped two feet inbounds for the last-second touchdown.
Green Bay entered halftime with a 14–6 lead and ended up beating the Giants 38–13 to advance to the divisional round.
With 42 days left until Packers football, here's @rcobb18 catching a 42-yard Hail Mary from Rodgers right before halftime during the 2016 Wild Card game against the Giants.pic.twitter.com/uxJ7hQQKO9
— r/GreenBayPackers (@redditPackers) July 31, 2022
3. Oct. 14, 2024: He's still got it, folks
Rodgers's fourth career Hail Mary touchdown pass was his first in a Jets uniform.
The Jets began a possession from their own 30-yard line with 21 seconds left in the first half, and they moved the ball up to the 48-yard line on two quick passes. With eight seconds left, Rodgers tossed up a vintage Hail Mary pass to the end zone, and Lazard somehow came down with it.
Touchdown, J-E-T-S.
ANOTHER AARON RODGERS HAIL MARY TD 😱
— ESPN (@espn) October 15, 2024
UNREAL ‼️ pic.twitter.com/TmMpRyY9ZC
New York, however, couldn't take advantage of the vintage Rodgers magic and went on to lose to the Bills, 23–20.
2. Dec. 3, 2015: Rodgers-to-Rodgers connection
Midway through the third quarter of a Week 10 matchup, the Packers trailed the Detroit Lions 20–0. Rodgers led the comeback effort at Ford Field and trimmed Detroit's lead to two points with just three minutes to play.
With six seconds to play in the fourth quarter, Rodgers and the Packers had the ball on their own 39-yard line. Rodgers avoided the pressure and heaved a pass down to a pile of Packers and Lions in the end zone. Tight end Richard Rodgers hauled it in for a game-winning touchdown, silencing thousands of stunned Lions fans in Detroit.
December 3, 2015: After the Lions’ Devin Taylor was called for a questionable facemask penalty with 0:00 on the clock, Aaron Rodgers completes a 61-yard Hail Mary to Richard Rodgers to win the game for Green Bay 27-23. pic.twitter.com/fVyDBg3JqW
— This Day In Sports Clips (@TDISportsClips) December 3, 2021
“This one, obviously, ranks up there as one of the greatest joys on the field that we’ve had together as a team and personally,” Aaron Rodgers told Sports Illustrated's Bill Huber in 2020.
1. Jan. 16, 2016: A playoff miracle ... (almost)
Undoubtedly the most dramatic Hail Mary pass thrown by Rodgers occurred in the closing seconds of a divisional round matchup against the Arizona Cardinals in 2016.
Trailing 20–13 and five seconds away from postseason elimination, Rodgers was chased out of the pocket by several Cardinals pass rushers. Without giving the end zone much more than a quick glance, Rodgers chucked a pass high into the air that looked like it would land near two defensive backs.
But Green Bay receiver Jeff Janis emerged out of nowhere and hauled it in for an improbable game-tying 41-yard touchdown.
Still, to this day, the Jeff Janis Hail Mary is the greatest throw ever made pic.twitter.com/usMnWJCSiN
— Eli Berkovits (@BookOfEli_NFL) October 10, 2024
Unfortunately for Rodgers, the Packers went on to lose 26–20 in overtime on a walk-off Larry Fitzgerald touchdown.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ranking All Four of Aaron Rodgers's Hail Mary Touchdown Passes Over His Career.
