Aaron Rodgers' three Hail Marys: Which was the best? Watch and see

Jay Busbee
· Senior writer

Thank heaven for Aaron Rodgers. Without his majestic play on Sunday—specifically his Hail Mary pass to end the first half against the New York Giants—Wild Card Weekend would have been nothing but a slog of dull football. But fortunately, there is Rodgers, and there will continue to be Rodgers, pulling off the kind of unthinkable plays you can’t even scheme up in Madden. Rodgers has thrown five Hail Marys in the last two years, and three of them have gone for touchdowns; the rest of the NFL has just six TDs in 32 attempts, according to ESPN.

Each of Rodgers’ three Hail Marys has been spectacular in its own precious way. But let’s take a moment to enjoy them all, to break them down and decide which one is the finest of the three. We’ll consider the facts, like distance traveled and number of defenders both in the backfield and in the end zone, and then we’ll go with our hearts.

Vs. Detroit Lions, Dec. 3, 2015

A game-winner that ended up making up for all those Thursday nights we’ve spent watching the Jaguars play the Titans. Rodgers took advantage of some gargantuan defensive miscues to sling the ball right into the heart of a pride of Lions and end up with a miracle touchdown.

Yards traveled: 68
Receiver: Richard Rodgers
Defenders chasing Rodgers: 0
Defenders in end zone: 5
The call (Jim Nantz, CBS/NFL Network): “He turned 32 yesterday, does he have a vintage moment in him? IT IS CAUGHT! FOR THE WIN!”

Vs. Arizona Cardinals, Jan. 16, 2016

Another last-gasp prayer that kept the Packers’ postseason hopes alive. Sure, they’d lose in overtime, but you can’t blame Rodgers for that.

Yards traveled: 60
Receiver: Jeff Janis
Defenders chasing Rodgers: 2
Defenders in end zone: 2 (on receiver)
The call (Al Michaels/Cris Collinsworth, NBC): “Rodgers is going to roll away … throws it up in the air … says a prayer … and Janis, does he make…?”
“Oh, stop it!”
“Oh, please!”
“What a catch!”
“That’s insane!”

Vs. New York Giants, Jan. 8, 2017

This was a move that you wish other coaches would try more often: the what-the-hell fling-it-up halftime play. This didn’t decide the game, but it did send New York into the locker room with one extra kick to the nethers, and the Giants ended up losing in embarrassing fashion.

Yards traveled: 59
Receiver: Randall Cobb
Defenders chasing Rodgers: 1
Defenders in the end zone: 7
The call (Joe Buck, Fox): “They’re gonna air it out … Rodgers does this better than anybody … end zone! COBB! TOUCHDOWN! UNBELIEVABLE!”

So there you go. Which way do you lean? In terms of season significance, we go with Arizona, since that prolonged Green Bay’s year…for a few more minutes, at least. We like the Giants play for its artistic value, and the Lions one for Rodgers’ surgical dissection of a flailing Detroit defense. But they’re all special, unique snowflakes, aren’t they? You never know when you’ll see another.

Randall Cobb #18 of the Green Bay Packers catches a touchdown pass in the second quarter during the NFC Wild Card game against the New York Giants at Lambeau Field on January 8, 2017 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Yes, Randall Cobb would catch this ball. (Getty)

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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports and the author of EARNHARDT NATION, on sale now at Amazon or wherever books are sold. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter or on Facebook.