Packers TE Jared Cook on catch: 'I knew it was good'

ARLINGTON, Tex. – In the waning seconds of regulation, with the game tied at 31, and just one play after a massive sack and 10-yard loss, the Green Bay Packers needed another miracle.

And while the 35-yard pass Aaron Rodgers fired to tight end Jared Cook wasn’t a Hail Mary, it might have been even more impressive.

So how did it all transpire? In both locker rooms after the Packers’ 34-31 win, players credited it to just Rodgers being Rodgers, using his brain to draw up the play, his legs to buy himself and his receivers more time, and his arm to zing a precise throw.

“When the quarterback is able to extend the play and get out of the pocket, and this quarterback is able to throw from any body position to anywhere in the field, it becomes more challenging,” Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said. “He made a big-time play, he bought himself some time, the coverage broke down a little bit, and they put themselves in position to win the game.”

Rodgers, who just last week nailed a 42-yard Hail Mary in the first half of a wild-card win against the New York Giants, took the shotgun snap and immediately spun to his left, away from some pressure from defensive lineman Tyrone Crawford. After two seconds, Rodgers cocked his right arm, like he was about to throw.

But it was just a fake. Rodgers sprinted forward for three and a half more yards, planted his left foot on the 31 yard line, and threw. The pass traveled across his body, and sailed over the head of Cowboys safety Byron Jones, toward Cook, who had broken free across the middle of the field as he reached left sideline, in front of the Cowboys bench.

“That’s just something Aaron Rodgers does. He was out of the pocket with a guy in his face and he just delivered a dime on the sideline,” Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott said.

And yet, the catch was perhaps even more impressive.

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Cook turned to his left, caught the ball in his belly, and somehow managed to touch both of his toes in bounds as he tumbled to the ground. Cook made a similar catch in practice earlier this week in Green Bay but couldn’t get both feet in bounds. Afterward, his teammates teased him about his big feet getting in the way.

This time, when it counted, he knew just how much room he needed to stay in bounds.

“I knew if I got over the top of (Jones) that Aaron would put it in the right place. He put it right on the sideline with enough room for me to get my feet down,” Cook said. “I knew it was a perfect throw by him to keep me in bounds to help me catch it with two feet in and fall forward.”

But did he catch it? Even the officials didn’t know for sure right away.

The first official, the one trailing the play down the sideline, signaled incomplete. The side judge, who was running toward the play, signaled it was a catch. Replay reviews showed Cook clearly in bounds, and the catch was upheld.

“I was able to see it on the big TV,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. “Looked good to me.”

Said Cook: "I knew it was good."

Follow Lindsay H. Jones on Twitter @bylindsayhjones.