Aaron Rodgers

World had its say, now you have yours: Was it a facemask?

Published Dec. 4, 2015 6:08 a.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

foxsports

The Packers’ miraculous win over the Lions on Thursday night will go down in NFL lore first and foremost for Aaron Rodgers’ Hail Mary heave with no time on the clock that found its way into the arms of Richard Rodgers for the dramatic, game-winning score.

But the debate which is sure to rage at least in the short term is what happened on the play before the prayer, the penalty that gave Green Bay that untimed down.

Let’s go through the play -- and the fallout -- and you decide.

The call

With only six seconds to play and Green Bay trailing 23-21 with the ball on the Packers’ 21, Aaron Rodgers took the snap and threw a pass down the left seam to James Jones at the Green Bay 40. With no chance to get out of bounds, Jones lateralled the ball to Richard Rodgers in the hopes of extending what looked to be the game’s final play.

Richard Rodgers then lateralled to Aaron Rodgers at the Green Bay 24. The star quarterback almost immediately went down in the clutches of the Lions’ Devin Taylor and the game was over. Until the yellow flags flew. Taylor was called for a facemask, giving the Packers 15 yards and the free play.

At first look, with Taylor sweeping past Rodgers and grabbing out at him, taking him down with one arm and his hand near Rodgers’ helmet, it sure looked like facemasking.

The hand

Take a look at the two screengrabs and decide if this is facemasking.

In the first image, Taylor’s thumb did touch Rodgers’ facemask. But it appears in the second shot that Taylor brought Rodgers down by the jersey / shoulder pad, not the facemask.

The rule

As Mike Florio at Pro Football Talk points out, Rule 12, Section 2, Article 14 in the NFL rulebook states: "No player shall grasp and control, twist, turn, push, or pull the facemask of an opponent in any direction. Note: If a player grasps an opponent’s facemask, he must immediately release it. If he does not immediately release it and controls his opponent, it is a foul."

The response

Shortly after the conclusion of the game, NFL Vice President of Officiating Dean Blandino took to Twitter and offer a response which seems to attempt to defend the official making the call but also does not exactly say the official made the correct call.

The Lions

It should first be noted that on that final heave, the Lions' defense looked like a mess. It appeared Detroit only rushed three players, but also only had a handful of players back in the end zone -- and clearly no one guarding the goal line.

Head coach Jim Caldwell offered up this reasoning to reporters after the game:

"We had plenty of guys in there, but we obviously didn't do what we needed to do. We weren't in position to get our hands on it."

When asked why there were not more players in the end zone, and why 6-foot-5 receiver and jump-ball specialist Calvin Johnson was not on the field and in the end zone, Caldwell said the Lions defense was actually geared to face another lateral play, not a Hail Mary.

"We have a couple ways we can go there, but we wanted to be careful about a play with them passing the ball around the field."

As for the facemask call? "Didn't think it was, but that doesn't matter," Caldwell said. "It was called, so therefore it is and we've just got to find a way to make the play."

The Packers

The loss should officially end the Lions' playoffs hopes, dropping them to 4-8. But as miraculous as the play was for the Packers with respect to winning the game, it may be even more heavenly for their playoff hopes.

The win lifts Green Bay to 8-4, allowing the club to avoid falling 1.5 games behind Minnesota in the NFC North, and keeping them at least a game ahead of the Seahawks and Falcons for a wild-card spot.

Regardless of what Caldwell was expecting, the Packers had Hail Mary called the entire time.

"I knew I was going to have to buy some time to allow them to get into the end zone," Aaron Rodgers told the media after the game. "I knew once I got outside the right that I was going to be able to set up and throw. ... I've never had a completed Hail Mary before.

As for the facemask call? What ... you think the two-time MVP is going to admit that was a blown call?

"I wasn't able to get away from (the Lions defense on the lateral play), but luckily my facemask was grabbed."

You make the call

Leave your comments below or tweet @NFLonFOX and let us know what you think of the call.

share

Get more from Aaron Rodgers Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

Aaron Rodgers

Richard Rodgers

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

National Football League