Inside the Play: Alim McNeill Describes Stopping Aaron Rodgers
Alim McNeill was on the sidelines taking it all in when the Packers came out of the huddle on fourth-and-10, late in the fourth quarter at Ford Field.
Green Bay trailed, 15-9, and needed to secure a first down in order to extend the game.
With 00:42 remaining in the contest, the Packers broke the huddle, and lined up with three wideouts to the left of quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Sammy Watkins, AJ Dillon and Samori Toure lined up on the left side.
Cornerback Jeff Okudah was in coverage on the lone Packers wideout flanked out right, which was Allen Lazard.
Defensive linemen Charles Harris, John Cominsky, Josh Paschal and Aidan Hutchinson were tasked with potentially disrupting Rodgers, as it was a clear passing down.
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A review of the film sees Charles Harris force his way into the path of Rodgers, ahead of his final pass that eventually fell incomplete.
The intended target, Watkins, was nowhere near on the same page with Rodgers. Both looked confused regarding where the pass ended up.
"It really kind of felt like a movie scene, honestly, that fourth-down play. But, it was just, it was kind of set up in our favor," McNeill told All Lions. "We knew who we were going up against at that moment in time and what type of stop we needed right there. So, basically, it was all in the huddle (prior to the final drive). We're like, 'This is it. This is our moment. This is here right now, so let's get this done.' And then, we lined up on that ball, and it was over with from there, because mentally, we had put ourselves in the position that we're going to win this ball game and we just had to do it physically. Going to that last play, it was really like a movie scene. Just seeing the crowd, real loud, fourth down and it's on us to win the game. It was a great moment. We came up big with it."
McNeill explained the feeling of relief that comes with a team making the final play to secure a victory.
"It was just (a) feeling of relief, I guess. We had put in all that work all week to beat the Packers, and ultimately, that's what we came out with, with the goal," McNeill said. "And, we were looking to get that second W. So, yeah, it was definitely a sigh of relief, for sure. But, we're looking to have that, we want that feeling every game."
For many years, Rodgers has been able to walk off of Ford Field with the victory, including a memorable Hail Mary that propelled the Packers to a shocking win back in 2015.
"We know who Aaron Rodgers is. Of course, a lot of respect for him, because of what he's done in late-game situations. But, hey, somebody's got to stop him. So, it was us. So, we came up big with that. And, I'm glad we did, because I can go home and say that now. We can stop Aaron Rodgers on a fourth down. But, it was pretty cool. But, it was, we came up big in that moment."
For the young defensive roster, the hope is that being able to draw upon their experiences late in the game against the Packers will allow them to be able to execute late in other games, should they find themselves in similar situations moving forward.
"I definitely think that moment would help. It's going to help us grow together as a defense, and knowing that we can get it done," McNeill said. "Like we can, we have what it takes. We have the coaching and everything in this game to get it done. So, yeah, that was definitely like a confidence moment for us."
