Aaron Rodgers hit the Hail Mary hat trick on Sunday, his last-second heave against the Giants in Sunday's Wild Card Playoffs reaffirming his place as a one-face Mount Rushmore in this realm.
Of all the incredible achievements in Rodgers' career, connecting on three Hail Marys in the span of 13 months, all of them in nationally televised games, might be the most remarkable feat of all.
Each of the three throws -- which traveled 172 yards to the end zone in total -- are special little flowers, but let's go ahead and rank them in order of magnificent splendor.
3. 2016 NFC Wild Card Playoffs vs. Giants
This one completed the trifecta and furthered Rodgers' legend in the process, so it deserves points for legacy impact. It is the least difficult of the three throws, all relative of course, but it should be noted that Rodgers had a clean pocket. This wasn't true on his other answered prayers. The real joy in this one is the ball placement. No one throws a receiver open better than Rodgers, and now he's the only guy who can say he did it on a Hail Mary. Look at this placement!
2. 2015 Week 13 vs. Lions
This might be the prettiest throw in NFL history. Rodgers gets flushed out of the pocket, finds some open space and unfurls a ceiling-scraping bomb that sends Lions defenders into a trance-like state. The 61-yard connection to Richard Rodgers is the longest Hail Mary touchdown in NFL history. The touchdown won the game for the Packers, adding to the insanity of it all. Bonus points for being a pass so momentous, it spawns a nickname ("The Miracle In Motown") and an obsessively detailed Wikipedia entry.
1. 2015 NFC Divisional Playoffs vs. Cardinals
If the pass in Detroit was the prettiest in NFL history, this might have been the most difficult. The Cardinals, who saw what happened when the Lions rushed just three against No. 12, went after Rodgers but still couldn't keep him from escaping the pocket. With Markus Golden closing quick, Rodgers uncorked a pass his contemporaries would label unfair or even criminal. Given the pressure and his body positioning, this throw should not have been possible. And yet ...
One last look, in triple split-screen. This is not luck:
