Aaron Rodgers dropped one of the most ridiculous dimes you'll ever see to thwart the Dallas Cowboys' comeback Sunday.
After safety Jeff Heath sacked the Green Bay Packers quarterback and an incomplete pass made it third-and-20 with 12 seconds remaining in regulation, the Cowboys played it safe, hoping to force Rodgers into a cautious throw underneath.
It did not work.
Instead, Rodgers slid a pass through a mail chute to tight end Jared Cook, who kept his feet inbounds for a 35-yard gain to set up the winning field goal.
The Cowboys player with the best view of the play was second-year safety Byron Jones, who watched the picture-perfect pass whiz by his head.
"So we were in a zone coverage, Cover 2. I'm an underneath dropper, and you know, we all understand what Aaron] Rodgers is gonna do," Jones told KRLD-FM, [via the Dallas Morning News. "We understand he's gonna leave the pocket, so the play's gonna be extended. The zone kind of gets all warped up when he holds the ball and he's running outside the pocket. I kept my eyes on Rodgers like I'm coached to do and tried to defend my seam, and then of course you got [Jared] Cook sneaking behind me and he catches it on the sideline.
"It's one of those plays where it's just like, 'Really, Rodgers?' I mean, he threw a dime on the move. You don't see stuff like that. Quarterbacks like that, they find those small holes in the zone and they can just take advantage of it, and Rodgers was able to do that."
Cowboys fans will lament Jones -- who enjoyed a fantastic season -- not being able to make a stab at the ball and disrupt the play, but sometimes all-time great players make all-time great plays like Rodgers did. When that happens, all you can do is tip your cap, marvel at greatness and know you got beat by one of the best to ever spin the rock.
