Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is good for at least one inhuman pass per game, and it only took him one quarter to deliver an awe-inspiring touchdown throw against the Seattle Seahawks.
Facing a must-win game against the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday Night Football, the 4-4-1 Green Bay Packers knew they needed Herculean efforts from their offensive triumvirate of Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Jones, and Davante Adams to deliver against a rising Seahawks team.
After scoring an early rushing touchdown, courtesy of a fumble on the Seahawks first play of the game, the Packers scored seven more points in the first quarter to jump out to a 14-3 lead. The Seahawks allowed 36 points in their heart-breaking, last-gasp Week 10 loss to the playoff-bound, rival Los Angeles Rams, but this defense has generally been above-average this season.
So a 14-point first quarter was huge for the Packers, whose playoff hopes are slim, even in a thoroughly unsettled NFC North. Any game could be the last for Green Bay, which is alarming, considering this team has Aaron Rodgers under center.
And speaking of putting “alarming” and “Aaron Rodgers” in the same sentence, the touchdown toss that put the Packers up 14-3 was another out-of-this-world play from the future Hall of Famer.
Rodgers usually delivers in big games like this one, and after being denied upsets against the Rams and New England Patriots, he isn’t about to let the Packers fans down against a team that usually has Green Bay’s number in big spots.
On 2nd-and-10 from the Packers 46-yard line, Rodgers rolled out to his right, saw single coverage, and unleashed an absolute bomb over the heart of the Seattle secondary. The ball nestled perfectly into the chest of undrafted free agent Robert Tonyan Jr. for a 54-yard touchdown, and this throw will go down as one of the highlights of the week and one of the prettiest throws of the season.
Rodgers’s arm strength and downfield accuracy never cease to amaze, and this touchdown to Tonyan Jr. was another perfect example of No. 12’s ability to make use of any weapon. He saw the size mismatch with the 6-foot-5, 237-pounder in single coverage in the end zone, and Rodgers trusted his own ability to make that throw.
The star passer made it look easy, too, and he gave the Packers a critical lead. That touchdown was Tonyan’s first of his NFL career, so it was certainly a huge moment for the 24-year-old out of Indiana State. Perhaps it could be a sign of things to come for Tonyan, though the Seahawks may not want to sleep on him the next time he decides to spring loose on a deep route.