In the words of the great Harry Dunne, Mason Crosby "totally redeemed" himself on Monday night.
A week after missing four field goals and an extra point in a reputation-defying performance against the Detroit Lions, Crosby made four field goals and three extra points against the San Francisco 49ers, including a 27-yard chip shot to lift Green Bay to a 33-30 victory as time expired. Crosby also hit field goals of 29, 39 and 51 yards.
"It was just special," Crosby told NFL Network's Tom Pelissero after the game. "What a gutsy deal to get down here and have a chance to win that thing. So thankful for another opportunity, and to have it end like that was amazing. I didn't have grey hair before last week so this is new, but I feel so thankful."
After a late interception by Kevin King deep in 49ers territory gave the Packers the ball back with 67 seconds left and no timeouts, it appeared Crosby might have to potentially flirt with his personal best of 58 yards in order to win the game for the Packers. But Rodgers made life easy for his 'ol buddy.
Following a drive-sustaining illegal contact penalty by Richard Sherman immediately after Rodgers was sacked, the QB ran for 21 yards before connecting on passes of 8, 19 and 19 yards on out routes to stop the clock and put Crosby in prime position to boot the winning field goal.
"I felt great today. I felt really balanced, just striking the ball well," Crosby told ESPN's Lisa Salters. "The timing was good. I just went back to just my fundamentals and making sure that I stuck to that process. I think I was rushing a little bit, so it felt so smooth today."
"This is unreal. I appreciate Aaron getting me a little close there for the chip shot, but what a great win."
Rodgers was happy to see Crosby bounce back a week after his worst game as a professional in Week 5.
"He had a rough one last week, but we love Mas, he's made a lot of big kicks for us over the years," Rodgers said. "He's a fantastic guy. He's been a great leader for us for a long time. Proud of the organization for sticking with him."
With Crosby back on track and Rodgers performing at his usual Hall of Fame-caliber self, the Packers proved Monday they are a team to be feared in the NFC North.
