Classic Aaron Rodgers: Tightrope pass for a touchdown

The window was a foot wide. Maybe two. Hardly enough space to consider placing a football.

Most quarterbacks wouldn't see it. Or attempt it. Certainly not complete it.

Aaron Rodgers didn't flinch. He spotted a sliver of daylight — an opening roughly the size of a microwave — and he pounced, as only he can.

"I've seen him make so many amazing throws," Packers right guard T.J. Lang said, "that it doesn't even surprise you anymore."

This one falls under that category. Amazing, yet effortless, like a simple pitch and catch in the backyard.

It was vintage Rodgers, a coldblooded dart that catapulted the Green Bay Packers to a 30-13 victory against a Vikings team hoping to make a statement.

Rodgers has owned the Vikings since 2008, compiling an 11-4 record and passing statistics that almost seem too good to be true.

He broke their backs differently this time, with one laser throw at a critical point in the game.

The Vikings finally established some momentum despite a bout of self-destruction. They had cut the deficit to 19-13 entering the fourth quarter. The Packers faced a third-and-9 at the Vikings' 27 on the first play of the quarter.

Rodgers dropped back to pass and was forced to flee the pocket to his right. Eyes fixed downfield, he rifled a pass on a dead sprint off his back foot toward the end zone.

Vikings cornerback Terence Newman was close enough to James Jones in the end zone to smell him. Maybe not smothering him but close enough to think Rodgers had no chance to squeeze the ball into that tiny spot.

Except he's Aaron Rodgers, so he did, a tightrope pass to Jones for a touchdown.

"Aaron made some crazy throws," Jones said.

The game technically wasn't over at that point. But it was over in spirit.

"When I threw my hand up, I did not think that he was going to be able to squeeze it in that corner," Jones said. "But I forget who's on my team. I forget who I'm playing with sometimes. He threw it so hard, so fast that Newman realized that he couldn't even get to it."

Still wondering if something is wrong with Rodgers after witnessing that throw?

That was the conversation this past week on the heels of a three-game losing streak by the Packers. What's up with Rodgers and the struggling offense?

Rodgers gave his rebuttal on that one throw, a different version of his infamous R-E-L-A-X. He's still the best quarterback in the NFL, still capable of pinpointing throws that few would even consider.

"It's ridiculous," right tackle Bryan Bulaga said. "But that's just Aaron, though."

So it's routine?

"No, it's special, don't get me wrong," Bulaga said, smiling. "But give him a pat on the back and tell him, 'Good throw.' "

That's it? "Good throw"?

"I saw Terence, and I felt like he maybe gave up on the play a little bit," Rodgers said. "He probably didn't think it was possible to get it in that spot."

He wasn't bragging. Just explaining.

Rodgers describes those throws on the move as "reaction" plays. Basically him freelancing outside the pocket, extending plays until he can find his target. That's when he's at his most dangerous.

Rodgers had another of those schoolyard plays earlier on that same drive. On that one he rolled left, stopped and hit Jones for a 37-yard catch.

He also converted a two-point conversion on an ad-lib flip pass to Jones.

"I felt good with a lot of the throws," Rodgers said.

His final statistics weren't nearly as absurd as previous performances against the Vikings: 16 of 34 passing for 212 yards with two touchdowns and an 86.9 passer rating.

Heck, Teddy Bridgewater finished with a higher passer rating (100.7), which shows that statistics don't tell the whole story.

Dropped passes by his receivers stalled a few drives. Jones had one drop while Randall Cobb dropped two third-down passes that would have resulted in a first down.

Their offense was good enough to get the job done, though, especially with Eddie Lacy's re-emergence providing some balance with 100 yards rushing.

"We've been taking it on the chin — rightfully so — the last few weeks," Rodgers said. "We had a couple of real poor performances."

Rodgers made sure that trend didn't continue. He looked more like himself again. Especially on one perfect throw that changed the complexion of the NFC North race.

Chip Scoggins chip.scoggins@startribune.com