Longtime play-by-play announcer Joe Buck once said "he does this better than anybody" when calling the third Hail Mary touchdown pass of future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers' storied NFL career. That was a 42-yard heave by Rodgers to Green Bay Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb before halftime of a 38-13 NFC wild-card round win vs. the New York Giants in the 2016 season.
Despite Rodgers now being 40 years old and coming off a torn Achilles in 2023, he showed he still has his trademark Hail Mary magic on "Monday Night Football" with the New York Jets facing off against the Buffalo Bills and Buck on the call. He channeled that magic when tossing another prayer to the end zone prior to halftime, and his former Packers teammate Allen Lazard hauled in a 52-yard throw to trim Buffalo's edge at the break to 20-17.
The play was initially called an incompletion by one referee as the football squirted out after Lazard hit the ground with possession of the ball. That's why another official came into the end zone with his hands up signaling a touchdown since Lazard had control of the ball and maintained it when his back hit the ground. The football only came out of his hands after a Bills defender knocked it out after the fact.
The first of Rodgers' career came on "Thursday Night Football" in Week 13 of the 2015 season at the Detroit Lions. Rodgers connected with Packers tight end Richard Rodgers for a 61-yard Hail Mary score as time expired to complete a 20-0 second half comeback. His second came later that season in the 2015 NFC Divisional Round at the Arizona Cardinals, as Rodgers hit wide receiver Jeff Janis for a 41-yard touchdown with no time remaining in regulation to push that contest to overtime.
That's why three-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who repeatedly said Rodgers was his football role model growing up, tweeted this in the aftermath of Rodgers' fourth Hail Mary.
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, the NBA's all-time leading scorer and former all-state high school wide receiver, replied to Mahomes' tweet in agreement, saying "Right!! It's ridiculous!"
Can Rodgers pull enough magic out his proverbial hat to power the Jets past the Bills to take over first place in the AFC East? Stay tuned to our live blog to find out.