The Packers nearly had everyone in the DMV area believing in miracles.
After drawing within two points of the Commanders in their Week 7 matchup at FedEx Field thanks to an astounding Aaron Jones touchdown, Green Bay took possession of the ball with 23 seconds left in regulation and zero timeouts. Sitting at their own 18-yard line, that is effectively a death notice for most teams. However, with Aaron Rodgers at the helm, there was at least a sliver of hope that he'd be able to pull a rabbit out of his helmet like he's done countless times in the past. And he nearly did.
After a 28-yard completion to Sammy Watkins that brought the ball to midfield, Rodgers spiked the ball with five seconds on the clock. At that point, what arguably would have been the play of the 2022 season nearly unfolded.
Rodgers completed a 21-yard pass to Robert Tonyan. He then began a lateral that traveled down to the Washington 21-yard line and ended up in the hands of Rodgers once again. He threw the ball across the field to offensive lineman Jon Runyan, who had a clear path toward the end zone to score the game-winning touchdown. However, the ball came in a bit low and dribbled out of bounds, ending the game and Green Bay's chance at a comeback.
WILD final play in Packers vs. Commanders pic.twitter.com/43gdABzBgr
— NFL (@NFL) October 23, 2022
While that play ended the game, Runyan's miss and Rodgers' underthrow wasn't the difference in the game. A blindside block by Packers tackle Yosh Nijman was called on the play and would have brought the scoring play back. Still, it was a heck of an effort.
This loss moves the Packers to 3-4 on the season with a road matchup against the Buffalo Bills next up on the schedule. Meanwhile, the Commanders now sit at 3-4 thanks to back-to-back wins as they try to claw back in the NFC East playoff race. They will be on the road in Week 8 as well as they take on the Colts in Indianapolis.
