Tag: Hail Mary

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes believes penalty should’ve been called on Hail Mary vs. Packers

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes believes a penalty should’ve been called on hail mary vs. Packers

The Kansas City Chiefs fell short last Sunday against the Green Bay Packers with plenty of controversy at the night’s end. The penalties that weren’t called on multiple offensive possessions are still too obvious to ignore days later.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has usually kept a short memory after a loss as the focus is to prepare for the next team during practice. During his Wednesday press conference, the reigning league Most Valuable Player addressed his feelings on the controversial no-penalty call on his Hail Mary attempt to tight end Travis Kelce.

“Yeah, it’s tough because there’s so many guys that are all in the same area,” Mahomes said. “We talked about [it], and we say, they’re not gonna throw flags, they’re gonna let the guys go out there and play. The one on Trav (was) a little aggressive because the guy [fully] pushed him out of the way. That’s the kind of guy that we want to be in the middle of going up and get the ball. So at some point, there’s got to be a flag, but at the same time, we tell the guys they’re not gonna throw a lot of flags in that situation.”

The Chiefs are moving forward from last Sunday night’s defeat and are focusing on the battle with the Buffalo Bills this Sunday. The sour taste of the loss will be extra motivation at home in front of the many fans of Chiefs Kingdom at Arrowhead Stadium.

WATCH: Former Wisconsin QB Russell Wilson might’ve had the play of the year

Wilson had an early play of the year nominee yesterday:

Former Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson has a weird history with Hail Marys.

First, there was the Michigan State QB Kirk Cousins’ buzzer-beating Hail Mary touchdown against the Badgers in 2011.

Now, we add a potential NFL play of the year to the list.

Wilson and the Broncos trailed the Commanders 35-27 with three seconds left in regulation. Denver had the ball at the 50 yard-line, needing a touchdown and two-point conversion to force overtime.

Related: Big Ten Power Rankings after Week 3: Wisconsin rises after ugly win

Wilson faced immediate pressure at his own 40-yard-line and heaved the ball into the air, though it would’ve fallen a few yards short of the goal line.

Then chaos happened:

The tough part of the story is the Broncos missed the two-point conversion and lost 35-33, dropping to 0-2 on the season.

Wilson through two weeks has completed 68% of his passes and thrown for 485 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. Despite the 0-2 record, he looks much better than he did last year with head coach Sean Payton now roaming the sidelines.

Wilson and the Broncos are back in action next Sunday against the Dolphins.

Twitter reacts to Broncos’ successful Hail Mary and heartbreaking loss

The Broncos pulled off an amazing Hail Mary against the Commanders but a questionable no-call on the ensuring 2-point attempt sealed a loss.

After squandering a 21-3 first-half lead, the Denver Broncos trailed the Washington Commanders 35-27 late in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game.

Near midfield, Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson launched a Hail Mary pass that was tipped and eventually caught by wide receiver Brandon Johnson, who stepped into the end zone to make it 35-33.

Denver was then just a two-point conversion away from tying the game at 35-35 and sending it to overtime, but Wilson’s ensuing pass was broken up in the end zone, sealing a loss. Washington’s defensive back made contact with wide receiver Courtland Sutton on the two-point attempt but was not penalized for pass interference.

Here’s a sampling of how Twitter reacted to the Hail Mary pass and the Broncos’ eventual 35-33 loss at home.

Video of Jalen Hurts’ Super Bowl Hail Mary shows the reason why it may have fallen woefully short

This failed Hail Mary from Jalen Hurts makes a LOT more sense now.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts played elite-level football during Super Bowl 57 even though his team didn’t take home the Lombardi Trophy.

His game-ending Hail Mary attempt fell woefully short of reaching the end zone for an Eagles player to have a shot, but a rewind of the play makes the distance issue make much more sense.

On the long attempt, it looked like Hurts got his foot tangled up a bit with Eagles center Jason Kelce as he stepped up in the pocket. That would’ve adjusted his throwing motion just enough to botch the Hail Mary before it even happened.

It’s hard not to feel awful for Hurts after he played such a lights-out game and saw his Super Bowl quest end like this.

Well, that stinks. Unless you’re a major Kansas City Chiefs fan, you probably wanted to hold your breath as Hurts’ pass fell into the red zone for a potential touchdown.

It was a bummer for the way to end, but it makes so much more sense as to why Hurts’ pass didn’t ever stand a chance.

Drew Pearson reveals story on the ‘kick’ before ‘Hail Mary’

The story of the kick before the Hail Mary is finally uncovered

Everyone remembers the original “Hail Mary” when Roger Staubach and Drew Pearson combined to life the Dallas Cowboys over the Minnesota Vikings in a 1975 Divisional Round playoff game.

However, the Cowboys Hall of Fame wide receiver had a previous play on his mind for years.

The Cowboys faced a fourth and 17 a couple of plays earlier and Pearson made a catch to keep the drive going along the sidelines.

A Vikings security guard stationed on the sidelines was so upset he kicked Pearson.

Now, decades later, Pearson meets the security person who delivered the kick.

App State’s miraculous deflected Hail Mary to beat Troy had college football fans in awe

App State pulled off a miracle play!

Just when it looked like Appalachian State was about to lose its second game of the season Saturday against Troy at home, the Mountaineers pulled off a miraculous Hail Mary with basically no time left in the game.

Down 28-24 with 15 seconds left in the fourth quarter — and after an exuberant day that included a visit from ESPN’s College GameDay, App State students winning free tuition and a strong roasting of Texas A&M, which lost to the Mountaineers in Week 2 — App State started its final drive on its own 47-yard line. And it needed to make some quick moves.

Luckily for them, quarterback Chase Brice followed a series of three incomplete passes with a nail-biting heave downfield on 4th-and-10 with two seconds on the clock. Just shy of the goal line with bodies everywhere, the pass was deflected at about the five-yard line, landing perfectly in the hands of wide receiver Christan Horn.

With the help of some stellar blocking from his teammates, Horn had a clear path to the end zone for a 53-yard touchdown, waltzing in to deliver the 32-28 victory over the Trojans.

What a dazzling miracle of a play from App State, and it was absolute pandemonium afterward.

WATCH: South Dakota upsets South Dakota State on a wild double-tipped Hail Mary

Do you believe in miracles?

Wild things are happening in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. Just one week after the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, the No. 4 team in the Football Championship Subdivision, upset No. 2 North Dakota State, they caught the upset bug themselves against the in-state and conference rival South Dakota Coyotes.

The No. 19 Coyotes found themselves down 20-17 with just one second to play and the ball at their own 43. They had little more than a prayer of winning.

But that prayer was answered as quarterback Carson Camp took the snap, rolled right outside of the pocket, stepped up and fired the ball as hard as he could towards paydirt.

The ball didn’t make it all the way to the end zone, instead arching down near the five-yard line, where a tip drill ensued. When the dust settled, the ball was securely in the arms of Caleb Vander Esch across the goal line as the Coyotes walked it off against one of the best FCS programs in the country at home.

Here’s an angle from the alternate side. Look upon it in all its splendor.

North Dakota State still leads the conference and therefore the race for the league’s auto-bid in the FCS playoff. But this game could go a long way toward earning an at-large spot for South Dakota, and at the very least, it provides the Coyotes with bragging rights in the Mount Rushmore State and their first winning streak against South Dakota State since 1986-1988.

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‘The wait is over!’ Cowboys legend Drew Pearson revels in Hall of Fame moment

The legendary wide receiver gave an impassioned acceptance speech, spotlighting teammates and coaches while reminding everyone where he was. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Drew Pearson, the legendary wide receiver for the Cowboys of the 1970s and early ’80s, admitted last week that he’s been mistakenly introduced as a Hall of Famer for years. His stats and place in the league’s history have certainly warranted his place there ever since retiring from the game in 1983.

But now that Pearson can officially be called a member of the club, he was clearly excited to, as he put it, “wear it out.” Pearson said the words “Pro Football Hall of Fame” 15 times (and added the abbreviated “Hall of Fame” another eight times) in just 11 minutes at the mic at Tom Benson Stadium on Sunday evening.

Pearson’s long wait- and near-misses- for making the Hall had been well-documented, making his speech one of the most anticipated of the weekend. And the fiery Pearson didn’t disappoint, shouting, “The wait is over!” to open his remarks; spotlighting his bronze bust for having “the biggest Afro in NFL history;” pulling up his pant legs to show off the skinny legs that carried him all the way to Canton; even taking a friendly dig at fellow Hall of Famer Mike Ditka.

After paying tribute to Cowboys founding fathers like Clint Murchison, Tex Schramm, and Gil Brandt, the original member of the 88 Club honored many of his star teammates and coaches by name for the role they each played in his football journey. Ditka, a former Cowboys standout before going on to become the Chicago Bears’ Super Bowl-winning coach, got a special mention.

“Thank you, Mike Ditka, my first receivers coach in the NFL,” Pearson said. “Mike was an All-Pro tight end, which means he taught me nothing about running pass routes as a wide receiver.”

The crowd ate it up.

“But, Mike,” he continued, “you taught me how not to just be a pro, but be a professional. And you did that by the passion you showed and that you brought to the Dallas Cowboys.”

Pearson, as expected, brought plenty of passion to his enshrinement remarks, just as he had to his playing days. He spent considerable time thanking his family members, both those in attendance and those who were, in his words, “gone too soon.”

But he also took the occasion to give a shout-out to a relative unknown named Otto Stowe. Stowe was a wide receiver who played just seven games for the Cowboys in 1973, Pearson’s debut season in the league. Pearson emulated Stowe early that year, and it was Stowe’s season-ending injury that opened the door for Pearson to start as a rookie and never give the job back.

“I learned so much from you, Otto,” Pearson said Sunday. “And I would not be here today without you.”

But the person Pearson is most closely linked to professionally is his longtime quarterback, Roger Staubach. Staubach presented Pearson Sunday night, the culmination of a prolific pairing that’s most famously remembered for the 50-yard touchdown versus Minnesota in the 1975 playoffs that served as the NFL’s original “Hail Mary” pass play.

But Pearson was a key figure in several other Cowboys milestone moments, too. He snagged the opening touchdown in Super Bowl X. He threw the final block that sprang Tony Dorsett on his record-setting 99-yard touchdown run in 1983. He caught the game-winning touchdown from Clint Longley in the team’s famous 1974 Thanksgiving comeback. And were it not for a one-handed horse-collar tackle, Pearson would likely have negated Dwight Clark’s “The Catch” in 1981’s NFC Championship Game with a late catch and run into field goal range.

But it’s the Hail Mary that has largely defined Pearson’s career over the years, the moment most fans want to talk about, the photo that he most often signs. Even though Staubach coined the term, Pearson is the one who personalizes his autographs with “Hail Mary to you.”

And that’s how he signed off his enshrinement speech.

“There’s so many special people in my life, but my time has run out. I don’t have a Hail Mary in my pocket, so I’ve got to wrap this up… Hail Mary blessings to you all.”

Pearson may be best remembered for that one miracle catch, but he racked up 555 others over his 11-year career. The Hail Mary was only one score; there were 55 others. And after 8,927 receiving yards (regular and postseason combined), three Super Bowl appearances, three Pro Bowls, three All-Pro nods, a spot on the NFL’s 1970s All-Decade Team, and a place in the Cowboys Ring of Honor, Pearson can now add “Hall of Famer” to his resume.

Judging by how often he visibly enjoyed saying it Sunday night, that may well be how he signs autographs for the rest of his life.

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Watch: Richard Rodgers comes down with 2nd Hail Mary!

Richard Rodgers now has a pair of Hail Mary! grabs in his NFL career

A player would be thrilled to catch one Hail Mary! After Monday night, Richard Rodgers can say he has turned the miraculous trick twice.

The second one wasn’t as dramatic since the game wasn’t on the line. It was impressive, nonetheless, as Rodgers wound up with the ball on a deflection of a  Carson Wentz pass with the Eagles trailing, 23-9. Check out the catch the tight end made with one hand.

And who could forget the one Rodgers made off a pass from another Rodgers, Aaron when he was  Green Bay Packer. That happened on an untimed down in Week 13 of 2015 because Kevin Taylor of the Lions grabbed Aaron Rodgers’ facemask as time ran out.

The Lions led 23-21, but not for long.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0vVqStvh_8&t=20s

That gave Green Bay a 27-23 victory.

Cowboys’ Lamb says circus TD catch may not even be his best ever

CeeDee Lamb recalls his acrobatic scoring grab in the end zone against Minnesota and where it ranks among the tough catches of his career.

It was positively jaw-dropping when it happened live. But CeeDee Lamb’s gravity-defying touchdown grab in the second quarter of Dallas’s 31-28 win over Minnesota actually becomes more impressive with every slow-motion replay.

It’s the kind of moment that will be shown for years to come, showcasing the rookie’s absurd body control and off-the-charts concentration as he corkscrews Matrix-style through midair to make what could end up being the catch of the year across the NFL.

Many who have been around the game for a lifetime are already calling it one of the greatest catches they’ve seen anyone ever make. But Lamb isn’t even sure it’s the best catch he’s ever made.

“Obviously, I’m happy that I hung onto it, because it was definitely a hard grab. Probably number one,” Lamb shrugged in his postgame press conference, asked where the reception ranks in his career.

But then the wideout who has- in just ten games- already broken the Cowboys’ rookie receptions record, caught himself.

“Or two. I’m still trying to get over that UCLA- my sophomore year- one-handed catch that was out of bounds.”

Yes, that sideline snag from 2018 is definitely worth a rewind, too.

Lamb’s catch versus UCLA was declared- wrongly- to have come out of bounds. His twisting dive inches above the turf at U.S. Bank Stadium, though, resulted in a clear-cut catch and a bona fide all-time highlight.

But it sure wasn’t a gimme as the 2nd-and-goal-to-go play unfolded.

“When it left my hand, I wasn’t sure exactly,” quarterback Andy Dalton said of his throw. “I let it go before he kind of set his angle on the route. He took it a little flatter than I thought. For a guy like that to be able to make that kind of catch, you can see the talent that he has.”

Looking over his left shoulder, and with Dalton’s pass sailing toward his right shoulder, Lamb barrel-rolled his body in midair until he was horizontal- parallel with the ground. Now falling backward and staring straight up into the rafters, the 21-year-old fought to swing his hands around more than 180 degrees from where they had started in order to meet the pass.

“Honestly, in that position, it was very hard to see,” Lamb told reporters. “The lights from the stadium made it difficult. I ran my route; Andy gave me a great opportunity, a great ball to have the opportunity to make a catch. Gave the O-line their props just for giving Andy time. At the end of the day, you’ve got to win your individual battles, and that I did.”

Lamb’s circus grab only cemented what most around the Cowboys locker room have felt since before he was drafted.

“I’m so glad he’s a Dallas Cowboy,” coach Mike McCarthy said in his press conference, “and I think we’re all seeing the beginnings of a tremendous career.”

“CeeDee’s so good when the ball’s in the air,” Dalton echoed. “Him being able to make his body get in a position to make acrobatic catches like that. You saw everything that he’s done in college, you’ve seen some of the stuff he’s already been able to do since he’s been here. For me, I was just trying to lay it up there, let him go have a chance at it, and he made an unbelievable catch.”

What impresses running back Ezekiel Elliott even more is the heart Lamb shows on plays where he’s not the target.

“CeeDee, he was on one today,” Elliott pointed out after the Vikings game. “Running hard, trying to run guys over. He tried to run a D-lineman over, he tried to run a linebacker over, which you don’t see from a smaller guy. But he can also go out there and catch the ball. You had the crazy catch in the red zone. That was big. He’s a hell of a player, he’s young, he’s going to have a hell of a career.”

Whoever wears the jersey number that Drew Pearson, Michael Irvin, and Dez Bryant made famous in Dallas is expected to carry on that big-play mentality. But one notices something different about this latest to wear the fabled double-eights.

Whether it’s his shout-out to what the offensive linemen did on his game-changing play, or the way he called the poorly-aimed ball from his quarterback “a great opportunity,” or the way he’s not even sure his ridiculous catch was the best he’s ever made, Lamb often speaks with a soft-spoken humility that’s refreshing coming from a No. 88.

“I made the most of my opportunity. I saw the ball that was in the air; he gave me a shot, and I definitely didn’t want it to hit the ground.”

His recollection of the moment may be full of understatement. But there’s no overstating how magnificent Lamb’s catch really was.

And just as with Pearson’s miracle “Hail Mary” catch versus Minnesota in 1975, Cowboys fans will be rewinding and dissecting this No. 88’s incredible touchdown grab against the Vikings for many years to come.

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