GREEN BAY, Wis. — Aaron Rodgers put ❀The New York Pass Defense in handcuffs Sunday afternoon.
The Giants’ self-labeled “NYPD” couldn’t have played much better against the Packers star quarterbackꦑ than it did in the first half of their NFC wild-card playoff at Lambeau Field.
The fact Green Bay still ended up riding Rodgers to a 38-💙13 victory — complete with yet another successful Hail Mary — should tell y♒ou just how much of mind-boggling hot streak Rodgers is on at the moment.
“What happened today?꧃ Aaron Rodgers happened today,” Giants linebacker Jonathan Casillas said. “We did a good job in thಌe first half of keeping him from extending plays, but we couldn’t do it for four quarters. He took advantage of that.”
After a slow start in which Rodgers struggled to find open rece📖ivers and was sacked four times, the two-time NFL MVP heꦗated up in the frigid temperatures with two truly dazzling plays that helped bring a swift end to the Giants’ first playoff appearance since 2011.
Rodgers completed 25-of-40 passes for 326 yards and four touchdowns as Green Bay won its seventh consecutive game since Rodgers vowed the Packers would “run♎ the table” after falling into a 4-6 hol🐟e in November.
Rodgers has played out of his mind during that win streak, throwing 19 touchdown passes without a single interception, and Sunday was just a💟 continuation of h𓆉is magical run.
Even more impressive Sundജay was that Rodgers did almost all of it without the services of leading receiver Jordy Nelson, who exited the game for good early in the second quarter with a rib injury.
The 42-yard Hail Mary completion to Randall Cobb on the final play of the first half — Rodgers’ third successful Hail Mary in just the past t🌠🤪wo seasons — wasn’t even his most impressive play Sunday, either.
That moment actually came nearly three minutes earlier at the Giants’ 5-yard line, when Rodgers dipped, d💦ucked and danced around in the backfield for almost eight full seconds before firing a TD pass in the corner of the end zone to Davante Adams.
The throw came with 2:20 left in the second quarter and gave the Packers their first lead of the game at 7-6. It was a lead they would not 🍰relinquish, thanks in large part to Rodgers.
That was in sharp contrast to the game’s first 20 minutes, when the Giants defense thor🌄oughly flustered Rodgers and the Green Bay offense. Rodgers completed just three of his first eight passes while the Packers started out 0-for-5 on third down.
But two factors combined to doom the Giants: the early injury departu🤡re of red-hot cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and the inability of Eli Man🥂ning and their offense to capitalize on Rod💟gers’ poor start.
Rodgers mercilessly picked on Rodgers-Cromartie’s replacements, Coty Sensabaugh and Trevin Wade, and the Giants had to know they would eventually be in trouble when they dominated the Packers early but could only m🦩uster a 6-0 lead.
Rodgers eventually turned t𝔉hat fear into painful reality, and the Giants’ season is🐷 over as a result.
“It felt amazing,” Rodgers said. “It fel💝t like it was meant to be tod♒ay.”