Nicknamed the "Majik Man," Majkowski broke out during the 1989 season and had one of the best seasons in Packer's history with 27 touchdowns and over 4,300 passing yards. He is probably best known for a game against the hated Chicago Bears, when he beat the Bears with a touchdown pass that was initially nullified by an illegal forward pass (Chicago Bear coach Mike Ditka thought he had crossed the line of scrimmage). The play was later overturned, allowing the Packers to beat the Bears for the first time since 1984. Majkowski capped the season with a visit to the Pro Bowl.
Consider this:
The Packers were without their two best running backs, Eddie Lacey and James Starks.
They had a converted wide receiver, Ty Montgomery, as their running back.
They were without their starting two cornerbacks, Sam Shields and Quentin Rollins.
They were without their best wide receiver, Jordy Nelson.
During the first quarter, they lost their starting strong safety, Morgan Burnett.
And they were playing in Dallas against the conference's number one seed, confident and rested after a first round bye.
And yet, this patch work team of third stringers and undrafted free agents were tied 31 to 31 with 34 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. The team's feel-good mojo had taken a hit from being ahead 21 - 3 to being even at 31 - 31, but the Packers were still in a good position to win. Why? Aaron Rogers and the red-hot offense were waiting to take the field with less than a minute remaining ...
* * * *
It was October 17th, and the crowd sitting in Lambeau Field was booing the Packers without prejudice -- both offense and defense. They had lost to the Cowboys 30-16, with 4 turnovers and sloppy play, including poor play by Aaron Rogers.
The Cowboy's game extended his career-worse slump. He missed a touchdown when his throw sailed over a wide-open Randall Cobb in the end zone. He fumbled with the Packers poised to score inside the Cowboy's 5-yard line.
Worse, the eventual loss to the Cowboys wasn't a one-game blip. If you took away the Packer's romp over the Detroit Lions earlier in the year, an ugly pattern had emerged. Rogers, known for taking care of the football, had eight touchdowns and six turnovers in four other games.
For nearly a year and a half, the two-time MVP had struggled to be the quarterback that had led the NFL in touchdowns and quarterback ratings.
People were wondering what had happened to Rogers.
The Green Bay Press wrote, "Dallas led by 14 at the time of Roger's second give away, and Dallas won by 14. These are the kinds of games Green Bay has won for years during the Roger's era, the slugfests with NFC peers."
Neil Greenberg of the Washington Post wrote, "Rogers can't hit the broad side of a barn with some of his passes." He also highlighted Rogers had only completed 60.2 percent of his passes this season, placing him 25th among 31 qualifying quarterbacks. Last season, his completion percentage dipped below 61 percent for the first time since he became a starter in 2008.
Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wrote, "Rogers should be categorized as a good veteran quarterback scuffling to regain his elite form." The story's ugly headline read: "Rogers Falls From Ranks of Greats."
It appeared the Cowboys, led by Dak Precott and Ezekiel Elliot, were the NFC's new football darlings. Green Bay, led by Aaron Rogers, looked out-of-sorts and tired. A changing of the NFC guard was firmly underway.
* * * *
It was a schoolyard play.
That's what Rogers called it -- buying time to keep a play alive before delivering a strike. Coach McCarthy called it "Dash Pass Left."
After two plays -- including one that saw Cowboy's safety Jeff Heath drill Rogers from behind for a 10 yard sack -- the Packers faced a third and 20 from their own 32 with 12 seconds left in the fourth quarter. According to Randall Cobb, Rogers designed the third down play in the huddle, telling the Packers' receivers what routes to run. He also set offensive line protections and crossing routes for the receivers. Surprisingly, Jared Cook and Rogers had practiced the play with Cook catching the pass just inches out-of-bounds. So they practiced it again until they got it right.
But that was during warm ups, not with 12 seconds left in the game.
Rogers took the shotgun snap and started rolling out to his left. He planted his feet with guard Lane Taylor in front of him, then moved to the left again. As he's closing on the sideline, he rifled a throw across his body to his tight end, who got behind Byron Jones and was running toward the sideline.
As the clock ticked down and the ball headed his way, Cook's eyes grew wide with a mix of disbelief, anticipation and focus.
It's been said that the NFL is very complex, with a lot of people working to find the best and most successful way to pick apart a defense. Defenses are equally complex, with disguises and blitzes coming from all sides. It's amazing -- despite the efforts of all those people -- Rogers was able to draw up the play in the huddle, scramble to let his receivers get open and then make the throw on a rope and on target.
I don't know if another quarterback could have done it.
* * * *
After week 11, the Packers were in 14th place for making the playoffs, just ahead of the Chicago Bears. Losses to the Falcons, Colts, Titans and Redskins had put the Packers at 4-6 and in serious danger of not making the playoffs for the first time in years.
And yet, there stood Rogers at his Lambeau Field locker, talking to an ESPN reporter, telling him that all the Packers needed was one win to turn things around.
"You just feel like it just takes one," Rogers said. "We get one under our belts, things might start rolling for us and we can run the table." The audaciousness of his comment made the headlines in most newspapers, and brought inevitable comparisons to the previous year when he told a radio show host to just R-E-L-A-X.
It sounds easy today, but at the time, the Packers were not a good team. The defense had given up 33, 31, 47 and 42 points to average teams. The offense was playing a little better, but they were still without a running back and Rogers looked like a quarterback for the Chicago Bears, not the MVP quarterback of years past.
The Packers were heading to Philadelphia that weekend for a tough game against the resurgent Eagles. Following that game, the Packers would have to beat the NFC West leading Seahawks, the Vikings, the AFC South leading Texans and the NFC North leading Lions in Detroit.
What was Rogers thinking?
Clairvoyant or not, Rogers and the Packers did run the table and won the North Division by beating the Lions in the last game of the regular season 31-24. It was the fifth time in the last six seasons the Packers were division champs, but this one was possibly one of the most rewarding for Rogers and the Packers whom many had given up on, myself included.
Heading into the Cowboys game, the Packers had won seven straight.
* * * *
The situation was first and ten at the Dallas 32 with three seconds remaining in a 31-31 tie.
As the Packers lined up and prepared for the kick, Jason Garrett tried to ice Mason Crosby, who had hit a 56-yarder a minute earlier, by calling a timeout. Despite the timeout, Crosby continued with his kick and the ball sailed through the uprights.
By this time, I was lying on the floor in front of the television. Behind and above me, everyone jumped for joy until they realize the kick didn't count. The stress was so great that I did three push ups before falling to the ground. I turned on my side to watch Paul since I could no longer watch the game. Hit or miss, I would judge the outcome based on Paul's reaction to the kick.
The time had come for the reboot. With ice in his veins, Crosby kicked the ball, which headed slightly left, before sliding right. As time ran out, the ball sailed through the goal posts and the refs raised their arms to signal a good kick. Paul leapt from his chair, arms raised to the ceiling, as if mimicking the refs. He kept yelling "We won! We won!" I got off the floor and started slapping high fives.
The final score was 34-31, with Rogers throwing for 356 yards and two touchdowns. Crosby -- with his winning kick -- became the first kicker to make a pair of 50 plus yards or longer in the final two minutes of a postseason game.
And the Packers, with Rogers and another miracle finish, continued to run the table with their eighth win in a row.
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