CHICAGO — B.J. Raji is listed at 337 pounds, and given that he plays nose tackle, he might be the last player on the Packers’ roster anyone expects to get into the end zone with the ball in his hands.
Yet there was Raji, scoring an important and completely unpredictable touchdown in yesterday’s 21-14 win over the Bears in the NFC Championship.
How improbable was this turn of events? The last time he scored, Raji said, was when he was playing seven-on-seven “on the street.” That would be back home in Westwood, N.J., where he grew up a Giants fan before going to Boston College and turning into a 2009 first-round draft pick.
In his first season as a starter, Raji “had a great year,” according to defensive coordinator Dom Capers. “He’s come a long way from year one to year two. He had a consistent season all year, he’s played tremendously for us the last five, six games, been a real key factor to our defense.”
Known as a run-stuffer with some pass-rush ability, Raji came up with a play to remember outside of his usual skill-set. The Packers were clinging to a 14-7 lead when Raji, dropping in zone coverage, stepped in front of a pass from Bears No. 3 quarterback Caleb Hanie intended for Matt Forte.
The ball settled directly into the hands of Raji and, in stride, he took off for the end zone. He held the ball aloft as Hanie gave chase and Raji just beat Hanie into the end zone to complete an 18-yard return for a shocking touchdown that made it 21-7 with 6:04 remaining.
“We had a spy cover-two play on that one; the running back ran to the flat. I just dropped back to take the cross from the receiver but the running back just came out of the backfield, I just caught it,” Raji said. “I was like, man, he threw this ball to me, I just got to catch it. It was unbelievable. We’ve been doing great things all year and that was a great call on that particular play. The rest is history.”
And now it’s on to the Super Bowl for Raji.
“Feels like I’m living a dream,” he said. “This is only my second year, first year starting, and to have the opportunity to win a Super Bowl, words can’t describe.”
