Aaron Rodgers was able to use a crafty move he normally can only use at home games and it helped clinch a win over the Saints
Aaron Rodgers once again proved why he's one of the savviest quarterbacks in the NFL on Sunday, fooling the New Orleans Saints into a critical offsides penalty that helped the Green Bay Packers seal the game.
Rodgers is a master of the hard count — a trick used by quarterbacks in which they aggressively fake their call for the snap to get their opponent to jump early and commit a penalty that results in an easy first down.
In any normal season, such a tactic would be impossible to pull off at the Superdome in New Orleans in a primetime game, where a screaming throng of fans would make it impossible for Rodgers' hard count to have any effect. But with the COVID-19 pandemic keeping fans away from most stadiums across the NFL, suddenly Rodgers had all of the tools in his toolkit available to him.
Rodgers pulled off the hard count perfectly in the fourth quarter of Sunday night's game against the Saints. Facing third-and-3 and looking to extend on a 30-27 lead, Rodgers leaned into his call for the ball, looking to get the Saints to jump. Linebacker Demario Davis nearly bit on his first call but recovered before crossing the line of scrimmage. But on Rodgers' second call, Davis fully committed to his rush, and a flag was thrown.
Rodgers, knowing he had a free play to work with, flung the ball to wide receiver Allen Lazard in the end zone. While Lazard wasn't able to make the grab, he drew another flag that brought the Packers to the one-yard line.
Watching Rodgers on the replay, it's clear that he was solely playing for the hard count.
Rodgers' eyes are fully on the play clock as it nears zero, and he even raises his hands in preparation to call a timeout as the Saints refuse to fall for his trick. But at the last second, Daivs jumped, and Rodgers got his snap with a free play to work with.
The Packers took full advantage of the Saints' mistake, punching the ball in a few plays later to take a commanding 37-27 lead to seal the win in New Orleans.
After the game, Rodgers seemed pleased with his bit of trickery, and noted that it was easier to pull off without the presence of a raucous crowd.
"It's a big weapon for us," Rodgers told NBC's Michele Tafoya. "A lot different environment than in 2008 and 2014. This place is rocking all the time. I know we all miss that in the sport — the fan interaction, the energy from the crowd. But it definitely helps us out in tough environment like this."
Rodgers' success with the hard count is well-documented. As play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico noted while calling the game, Rodgers could be known as the "King of the Free Play."
With fan attendance expected to be limited through the entire season, Rodgers' skill at the line could go even further than usual to helping the Packers along to victory.
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