Rodgers gets it done on road as Packers rally to end long slide

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Aaron Rodgers refused to sit this one out, even with the playoffs out of the question. And he willed the Green Bay Packers from setting some dubious franchise history.

A banged-up Rodgers threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Davante Adams with 6 minutes, 23 seconds left in overtime, capping an eye-popping performance by leading the Packers to a wild 44-38 victory over the New York Jets on Sunday.

The victory was the Packers' first on the road this season, ending a nine-game skid away from Lambeau Field dating to last season — and it prevented them from becoming the first Green Bay squad since 1958 to go an entire season without a victory away from home.

"It's good for the young guys to see what the locker room on the road feels like with a win, what the plane flight feels like," Rodgers said. "How special that plane ride is after a road victory."

And this one was all on Rodgers, who was masterful in the fourth quarter and overtime for the Packers (6-8-1).

He threw for 442 yards and touchdowns to Adams and Jake Kumerow, and also ran for two scores — his first since the 2016 season. That's despite a groin issue that nagged him last week, and a knee ailment that has bothered him all season. Rodgers was intent on playing, and believed it proved something.

"That it matters, even when the record isn't great and you're not going to the playoffs," he said. "That I have a lot of pride. I love competing in anything. I don't want to look back in 20 years and wonder, 'What if I had played that game? Could something special have happened? What would it look like to my teammates if they knew I kind of quit on them?' I hope my teammates know I'm never going to quit on them.

They certainly did, erasing a 15-point fourth-quarter deficit and improving to 2-1 under interim coach Joe Philbin, who replaced the fired Mike McCarthy earlier this month.

"I think it speaks a lot about the character of the guys," Philbin said. "They never stopped believing that they could get the job done."

The loss for the Jets (4-11) overshadowed a dazzling performance by rookie Sam Darnold, who threw for a career-high 341 yards, but never got a chance with the ball in overtime. Darnold was 24-for-35 with TDs to Robby Anderson, Chris Herndon and Elijah McGuire, who also ran for a score. It was likely the final home game for New York coach Todd Bowles, who is expected to be fired after next week's game at New England.