This Packers vs Lions Moment from 2005 Deserves a Throwback

It was December 11th, 2005. The Green Bay Packers were involved in a tight Sunday night match up with divisional rivals Detroit Lions.

Deep into the 4th quarter, with the clock at 7:07, the Brett Favre-led Packers had the ball at their own one-yard-line and looked to run the ball with rookie running back Samkon Gado.

Gado was turning out to be a reliable rushing outlet for the Packers. He was even named the NFC offensive rookie of the week in Week 10 that season for his 100+ yard game against the Atlanta Falcons, which included 2 touchdowns.

Gado would go on to spend the next 5 seasons of his NFL career as a bit of a journeyman. But if there’s one play that NFL fans remember him for, it’s this one.

A crazy sequence of events

With the score tied at 13 apiece, Gado collected the ball after the snap, deep into his own end zone. He did his best to break the Lions’ tackles to rush out of his own end zone, but the pressure was just too much for the rookie running back to handle and he ended up conceding what at that point looked like a fumble with 6:59 on the clock.

Gado after being tackled instinctively flipped the ball forward to avoid a safety. He was flagged for intentional grounding, which resulted in a safety and 2 points for the Lions heading into the final few minutes of the last quarter.

There were calls of holding by the offensive line in the end zone as well, something that warrants an automatic safety. Regardless, it was a win-win for Detroit. They got the safety and the ball back thanks to the previously mentioned sequence of events.

But then, something unusual happened. The match officials for the game decided to huddle and review their decision, and after 6 long minutes, the officials decided to overturn their call.

The officials ruled that the holding call was not in the end zone and thus was not eligible for an automatic safety and thus two points awarded to the Lions were deducted by the officials.

As for Gado, the officials ruled that he was not a runner but a passer as he had made it out of the pocket and that his pass (if that is what we’re going to call it) was legal and gave the ball back to the Packers.

The game ultimately ended up going to overtime and lady fortune favored the Packers yet again as Ryan Longwell’s 28-yard field goal attempt was enough to give them the win.

Confused? You should be. This was one crazy sequence of events that took place on a cold, cold December night. For the Green Bay Packers, Gado became a cult hero, whereas, for the Detroit Lions, it’s a memory they would like to forget.