Mason Crosby rebounds from 5-miss week with game-winning field goal
The same one
who missed
four field goals and an extra point in a loss at Detroit. This time, Crosby kicked a 27-yard
field goal as time expired to give the Packers a 33-30 comeback victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night
Football at Lambeau Field.
It was Crosby's
fourth field goal of the night. He was good from 29, 39 and 51 yards before the
game winner. He also made all three of his extra points for a perfect night.
"It's very
apropos," Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said. "What he went through last week and the team to
stick with him, and the guys to kind of wrap our arms around him and encourage
him the way we do for our teammates was great. And then he responded. The crowd
was very encouraging. I was trying to figure out at first if it was kind of a
sarcastic cheer, but I felt like it was a pretty heartfelt encouragement after
he made four field goals and three extra points. Obviously very happy
afterwards, and we were very happy for him."
Eight days earlier
in Detroit, Crosby was surrounded by cameras in the visitors locker room after
the Packers' loss to the Lions and he said: "I don't get this much
attention unless it's really bad or extremely good."
The crowd around
him was even bigger in the victorious home locker room at Lambeau Field.
"Gosh, just so thankful for the Packers organization and my
teammates just sticking with me knowing I've bounced back a lot in my
career," said Crosby, a 12-year veteran. "I had no days like last week,
but this is a special one. This is one of my better days. And to be able to go
out there and perform the way I did after last week [was great]. Did a lot of
soul-searching this week and made sure I really locked in on my preparation,
and it paid off."
Crosby said he
appreciated Rodgers and the offense making the game winner a "chip
shot," as he called it.
He said the more
nerve-racking kick was the extra point to tie the game at 30 after Rodgers hit Davante Adams for a 16-yard touchdown
with 1:55 left.
"The extra
point to tie the game was the one that I was a little more amped up for, making
sure I knocked that through," Crosby said. "But that last one was
just kind of muscle memory. The snap came, I felt like I was pretty quick on it
and everything was perfect. The protection was great. I felt guys kind of
diving in front of me right after, but I was in the zone. It's special whenever
it all comes together that way, and I'm just so thankful for the week of work I
had and the guys, how much they never wavered from how they felt about me. To
be able to come through like this after a week like I had last week is pretty
special."
An interception by Kevin King with 1:07 left gave the
ball back to Rodgers. An illegal contact penalty on 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman wiped out a third-down
sack that would've killed the drive. Rodgers scrambled on his gimpy left knee
for 21 yards, hit Adams for 8, and then rookie Equanimeous St. Brownmade a stellar sideline catch
for 19 yards, followed by another one to Adams for 19 to set up the game
winner.
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