Continuing a series begun a year ago, Packers.com has again compiled a series of "Favorite Fives," various Top 5 lists of big plays from this past regular season.
Each list will be accompanied by a brief description of the context, plus video clips of the plays. The Packers Fan Poll on the left side of the page will allow fans to vote for their favorite. A new "Favorite Five" will appear each week for the next several weeks, with a new corresponding poll.
After all the lists have appeared, votes will be tabulated to compile a final "Favorite Five," and Packers.com visitors can then vote for their favorite play of the year for 2008.
The fourth installment is the Top 5 pass plays in road games. In chronological order, they are:
Jordy Nelson, 29-yard TD at Detroit (Sept. 14)
The rookie second-round draft choice wasted no time making an impact, scoring his first NFL touchdown in Week 2. With the Packers already leading 14-0 in the second quarter and facing third-and-2, Nelson beat Detroit cornerback Brian Kelly at the line of scrimmage and was open down the right sideline. He hauled in a perfectly thrown pass from Aaron Rodgers, making his first pro reception really count. Nelson didn't score another touchdown until Week 14, but he gave Green Bay fans an early taste of his playmaking ability.
Greg Jennings, 48-yard TD at Tampa Bay (Sept. 28)
The Packers trailed 20-7 late in the third quarter but got back into the game when Rodgers, one series after injuring his shoulder on a scramble, gritted his teeth and threw a laser down the seam to Jennings that was just out of the reach of Tampa Bay safety Jermaine Phillips. The score, which came on third-and-16, was set up by an acrobatic Nick Collins interception that gave the offense good field position.
Rodgers did not re-enter the game on the Packers' next series, an indication of how serious the shoulder injury was, but he came back later in the fourth quarter when Green Bay had fallen behind again. Rodgers went on to play through the injury for several weeks, but perhaps made no better throw considering the condition of his shoulder than this one.
Jennings, 45-yard TD at Seattle (Oct. 12)
Locked in a 10-10 game midway through the third quarter, the Packers faced third-and-6 when Rodgers and Jennings again hooked up for a big play. Jennings beat Seattle cornerback Marcus Trufant one-on-one, and the touchdown deep down the right side gave the Packers the lead for good in their Week 6 win. It was the 10th touchdown of Jennings' career of at least 40 yards in length.
James Jones, 40 yards at Jacksonville (Dec. 14)
Having battled a knee injury off and on throughout 2008, Jones turned in a big game down in Jacksonville with catches of 46, 40 and 34 yards. This 40-yarder was probably the best of the bunch, coming on the first snap after the 2-minute warning late in the first half.
Running a sideline go route on third-and-4 from midfield, Jones initially juggled the pass and then grabbed hold of it as Jaguars safety Reggie Nelson walloped him out of bounds. Jones hung onto the ball, but the replay booth reviewed the catch to make sure he got both feet in bounds after the bobble and before took the big hit. The replay confirmed the call on the field, and the Packers turned the first-and-goal at the 10 into a field goal to close out the first half.
Ryan Grant, 17-yard TD at Chicago (Dec. 22)
The Packers' screen game has been inconsistent to be sure, but this time it worked like a charm. Already leading 7-3 late in the first half, the Packers tacked on another score when Rodgers dumped off a short screen to Grant, who got great blocks from guard Jason Spitz on linebacker Lance Briggs and from center Scott Wells on linebacker Brian Urlacher. Grant then ran over safety Craig Steltz at the 10-yard line to cruise into the end zone. It was the longest of Grant's 18 receptions in 2008, and the only receiving touchdown scored by a Packers tailback all season.
So there you have it, another "Favorite Five" of 2008, with more to come. Don't forget to watch the video of all five plays, and to vote in the fan poll on the left side of the page.
Last week's results
In the voting for Top Run Plays On The Road, Rodgers' 10-yard TD scramble at New Orleans earned 35 percent of more than 13,000 votes cast. Brandon Jackson's 19-yard TD run at Detroit was second with 30 percent, followed by Matt Flynn's 6-yard run on a fake punt at Chicago (18 percent), Kregg Lumpkin's 19-yard run at Detroit (13 percent), and John Kuhn's 1-yard TD dive at New Orleans (2 percent).
