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Aaron Rodgers made three unbelievable throws to give the Packers a win over 49ers

Frank Schwab
NFL writer

When Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ career is done, a YouTube compilation of his prettiest passes might take an hour. Maybe more.

His game-tying touchdown pass to Davante Adams in the final two minutes of Monday night will be on that highlight reel. So will a phenomenal back-shoulder pass to Equanimeous St. Brown to set up Mason Crosby’s field goal. And then another ridiculous pass to Adams to get Crosby even closer.

Rodgers has given us so many great moments, and he gave us many more in the final two minutes of Monday night’s game. He led a game-tying drive to tie the game just inside of the two-minute-warning, then a game-winning drive as time expired. Mason Crosby, who missed five kicks in Green Bay’s previous game, hit a 27-yard field goal at the final gun to give the Packers 33-30 win.

As usual, Rodgers carried the Packers further than they probably deserved to go on Monday night.

Packers didn’t play well until the end

The Packers looked sluggish most of the night, but the 49ers deserve credit for that too. They played well. They probably deserved to win.

Rodgers was the difference, as usual. It wasn’t that Mike McCarthy out-coached Kyle Shanahan, because he certainly didn’t, or that the Packers as a whole played well. It was just Rodgers willing his team to a victory.

The pass to Adams was a beauty. It was almost like Rodgers threw it just low enough to make cornerback Greg Mabin believe he had a chance to knock it away, but it flew a couple inches over Mabin’s hand and right to Adams. Tie game.

The Packers got a shot to win after 49ers quarterback C.J. Beathard threw a long interception on third down. The Packers had the ball on their own 10-yard line with 1:07 left. When ESPN’s Lisa Salters asked Rodgers what he was thinking in that spot, he admitted, “Overtime, actually.”

But Rodgers came through. An 49ers illegal contact penalty on a sack kept the drive alive. Rodgers came up limping after seemingly aggravating his knee injury on that sack, but he still ran up the middle for 21 yards on the next play. That gave the Packers a chance to get into field-goal range.

Then Rodgers made two pretty passes in a row. It was 19 yards to St. Brown, the rookie, and 19 more to Adams. Both came against fairly good coverage, but Rodgers delivered both throws with pinpoint accuracy. That made the field goal for Crosby, who struggled so badly last week, a chip shot.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) led a dramatic last-second win over the 49ers. (AP)
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) led a dramatic last-second win over the 49ers. (AP)

49ers battled hard all Monday night

The 49ers looked good from the start. They marched quickly downfield for a Matt Breida touchdown on the opening drive. After the Packers answered with 17 straight points and it looked like they had righted themselves, Beathard hit Marqise Goodwin for a 67-yard score. That’s when it was clear the 49ers weren’t going away easily.

Beathard played well. He hit Goodwin for another touchdown that gave the 49ers a 21-20 lead in the first half. He generally kept the offense moving and a step ahead of the Packers. It was an impressive night for him on the “Monday Night Football” stage.

The 49ers could have gone in the tank after Garoppolo’s injury. But they played the Chargers tough in a close loss, outplayed the Cardinals but found a way to lose last week, and played hard on Monday night. Beathard looks like a reasonable option at quarterback, mostly because Shanahan is devising some great game plans for him. Shanahan had a good one on Monday night. It just wasn’t enough to beat the great Aaron Rodgers.

Rodgers saves the day

Rodgers hasn’t looked completely right most of the season, though he still has been very good. The knee injury he suffered in Week 1 is clearly affecting him. He said he had a setback in the Packers’ last game.

But he was still the best player on the field Monday night. When the Packers needed a miracle throw to save themselves a win after a lackluster performance against the 49ers, Rodgers gave them one. And another. And then another.

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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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