[4] In a nationally televised game on ESPN's Monday Night Football, the Seahawks defeated the Packers, 14–12, in controversial fashion.

On the final play of the tightly contested game, Seattle rookie quarterback Russell Wilson threw a Hail Mary pass into the end zone intended for wide receiver Golden Tate.

The NFL subsequently released a statement defending the touchdown ruling, while conceding that offensive pass interference did occur, which would have resulted in a Packers win.

[10][11] NFL commissioner Roger Goodell acknowledged that the negative attention the game drew to the referee situation was an impetus for ending the labor dispute.

The Green Bay Packers started the 2012 NFL season 1–1 after an opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers and a Week 2 victory against the Chicago Bears.

After negotiations failed for a new collective bargaining agreement, the NFL locked out the referees and began hiring replacement officials.

Halfway through the second quarter, the Seahawks scored first on a five-play, 58-yard drive punctuated by a 41-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson to Golden Tate.

The Packers ran two more running plays, forcing the Seahawks to use all their timeouts and bringing the game clock down to 57 seconds.

The NFL rulebook states, "If a pass is caught simultaneously by two eligible opponents, and both players retain it, the ball belongs to the passers.

"[18] The New York Times columnist Greg Bishop disputed the touchdown, writing, "Another defender, M. D. Jennings, leapt from behind Tate.

"[16] Bishop further noted that, in waving his arms, back judge Rhone-Dunn appeared to be signaling a touchback for a change of possession via interception, which would have ended the game with a Packers victory.

[16] Contrary to Florio's analysis of the rules, Cold Hard Football Facts writer Scott Kacsmar supported the touchdown ruling, stating "Golden Tate had the first control of the ball, catching it with his left hand, which never loses control of the ball throughout the entire process of the play.

Tate pushed off for an uncalled offensive pass interference that would have ended the game, but this is irrelevant when history shows no referee in football will make such a call on a Hail Mary.

"[19] Most sources, however, agree with Florio that Jennings gained control before Tate, with some posting photo and video evidence to back up their claim.

"[25] The winning catch was subsequently referred to in the media by nicknames such as Fail Mary[26][27], Inaccurate Reception,[28][29] and Intertouchdownception,[30][31] (respectively referencing the Hail Mary pass, Immaculate Reception, and a portmanteau of the words "interception" and "touchdown") and Russell Wilson was referred to as having thrown a "game winning interception".

[32] Following the game, the NFL released an official statement that acknowledged that the pass interference should have been called on Tate, but supported the decision to uphold the play as simultaneous possession: When the players hit the ground in the end zone, the officials determined that both Tate and Jennings had possession of the ball.

Referee Wayne Elliott and the officials determined that no indisputable visual evidence existed to overturn the call on the field, and as a result, the on-field ruling of touchdown stood.

[15]In an interview with TMZ three days after the game, side judge Lance Easley defended his touchdown ruling, saying, "It was the correct call."

"[33] However, the day before Easley made that comment, locked out referee Walt Anderson, who has worked numerous NFL postseason games including two Super Bowls, said he would have ruled interception either on the field or under the hood.

[24] The day after the game, then-New Jersey State Senate President Stephen Sweeney, a Packers fan, announced plans to introduce legislation banning replacement officials from working professional sporting events in New Jersey; two NFL teams, the New York Giants and the New York Jets, play their home games at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.

[40] Then-Mayor of Green Bay Jim Schmitt sent a letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, stating, "As an elected official and public steward, I'm concerned about the impact on the integrity of the game and the significant financial effect that it may have upon our community.

"[41] U.S. President Barack Obama weighed in on the ending, calling it "terrible" and adding, "I've been saying for months, we've gotta get our refs back.

The contentious nature of the replacement officials' decision at the end of the Packers-Seahawks game is widely considered to have been the tipping point that finally led to the agreement.

[49] In 2014, ESPN's listing of the 45 most memorable moments in the history of Monday Night Football, as voted on by ESPN.com contributors, ranked the controversy as #1.