The Green Bay Packers were the beneficiaries of a controversial call in their 26-21 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
But on Sept. 24, 2012, the Packers were on the losing end of one of the most infamous plays in recent NFL history — against none other than the Seattle Seahawks, their opponent in the NFC Championship Game — in what’s now known as the “Fail Mary” game.
That was the year the NFL started the season with replacement refs while in a labor dispute with the regular officials.
On the last play of the week three Monday Night Football game, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson heaved a Hail Mary pass into the end zone. Seattle receiver Golden Tate and Packers defensive back M.D. Jennings both came down with the ball. One official signaled touchdown while another signaled a dead ball.
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The play was reviewed and ruled a touchdown, giving Seattle a 14-12 win. The resulting controversy led a few days later to the NFL reaching an agreement with the regular officials, who were back on the field for week four.
Already, some fans are preemptively complaining about the inevitable coverage the play will get this week.
Let the #failmary nightmares begin :( #GBvsSEA
— Samantha March (@BySamanthaMarch) January 12, 2015Will we hear more references this week to the #FailMary than #IceBowl mentions last week? #Packers #NFL #Seahawks #NFCChampionship
— Nick Marcelle (@CoachMarcelle) January 12, 2015Alright. Most important question: What's Vegas setting the line of #FailMary vs. #DezDrop clip viewing all week?
— The Packer Ranter (@PackerRanter) January 11, 2015But Lance Easley, who made the original touchdown call, no doubt wants more than anyone for the play to be relegated to the dustbins of history.
Easley told Yahoo! Sports’ Dan Wetzel that he has dealt with depression and posttraumatic stress disorder since fallout from the controversial call.
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