Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers managed to grab a very important win on Sunday. The Steelers upset the Detroit Lions 29-24, extending their advantage in the AFC North with two weeks to go. But it wasn’t a quiet game.
The Steelers had a two-possession advantage in the fourth quarter, but the Lions managed to orchestrate a final drive with a chance to win the game as time ran out. The final play, however, was a controversial one, and the referees had to wait many minutes before a decision was officially made.
Aaron Rodgers Compares Steelers-Lions Ending To Fail Mary Game in 2012
Rodgers could not celebrate the victory until several minutes after the final play. There was plenty of discussion between the referees on whether Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown had crossed the goal line. Another discussion was whether a lateral pitch to quarterback Jared Goff, who dived into the goal line, was valid.
In the end, there was no happy comeback for Detroit. It was determined that St. Brown committed offensive pass interference before making the catch. With the penalty, there was no replay, and the game was officially over.
Rodgers, who ranks 28th in PFSN’s QB Impact score, remembered the 2012 game between the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers in Week 3. The league was forced to start that season with replacement referees after the original group went into a lockout. Rodgers, who played for the Seahawks, could only watch as the Seahawks won the game with a phantom touchdown in a primetime game.
Rodgers said, “I was a part of a game 13 years ago that had this kind of chaos. There were some replacement referees though.”
Aaron Rodgers to @tracywolfson postgame: “I was a part of a game 13 years ago that had this kind of chaos. There were some replacement referees though.” pic.twitter.com/GcavesS4CD
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) December 22, 2025
The Fail Mary was the final game of that season with replacement referees. The league struck a deal with the referee association right after that game. They returned in Week 4 of that season and were even celebrated by fans upon their return.
The game became known as “Fail Mary” due to the final play. With the Seahawks trailing 12-7 as time expired, rookie Russell Wilson threw a Hail Mary pass into the end zone. It was clear that a Packers defender intercepted the ball, but the referees awarded a touchdown to the Seahawks and did not change the call even after a replay.
Rodgers once again had to wait several minutes to discover whether his team had won the game or not. Luckily for him, this time he was on the right side.
