The NFL returned this weekend, and with it came another jaw-dropping performance from the Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers.
To set the scene:
Only seconds remained in the first half as the Packers were trailing the Jacksonville Jaguars 17-14.
On third down from the Jacksonville 28, Rodgers was looking to take one more shot at the end zone before the Packers would have to settle for a field goal attempt.
With time running out, could Rodgers pull it off?
And then this happened.
How did Rodgers avoid the sack? How did he manage to throw the ball that far forward while he was being dragged backwards? How did Adams make that catch? None of this makes any sense.
Let's see that again in Vine form.
Here it is in slow motion.
Here it is from behind.
And here it is with commentary.
Let's break that down using math. At the time of release, Rodgers is being dragged backwards to the left while throwing the ball forward to the right about 33 yards. This means that Rodgers has the arm strength to make up for being pulled backward while also launching the ball downfield. This happens in a split second.
In this case, Rodgers being pulled backward should mean that the object he's holding (the ball) should also be pulled backwards. However, the unbalanced force of his arm is so great that his throw resists the motion the rest of his body is undergoing.
Using some more math (and some very rough estimates), we can see that Rodgers' ball actually traveled about 37.6 yards, or almost 113 feet.
Not only did Rodgers throw the football forward over 100 feet while being dragged backwards, but he put it in a window just a few inches wide. Only Davante Adams was in position to catch this ball by a few fractions of a second, and he was able to pull it in.
And it's only Week 1!
