CHICAGO -- Yes, the Green Bay Packers have a running back, and his name is Ty Montgomery.

Oh, yeah, and they still have Aaron Rodgers too.

It’s a good thing they had both on Sunday against the Chicago Bears or they would be answering for one of the biggest collapses of the season.

The Packers blew a 17-point fourth-quarter lead, and then with one Rodgers heave -- a 60-yarder to Jordy Nelson to set up the game-winning 32-yard field goal by Mason Crosby as time expired -- the Packers escaped Soldier Field with a memorable 30-27 win.

It wasn't quite the Hail Mary that Rodgers threw last year at Detroit, but it will go down as one of his most memorable throws in a career full of them.

"Let’s be honest -- you’re sitting there, it’s third-and-11, you let the clock run out -- that’s a decision you have to make," coach Mike McCarthy said. "We felt like we were going to take the shot at the conversion."

Up to that point, McCarthy relied heavily on Montgomery.

For weeks -- even the past couple of months -- McCarthy has been telling anyone and everyone that Montgomery is no longer a receiver. Forget that he still wears No. 88; players can’t change during the season.

And these numbers -- 162 rushing yards on 16 carries plus two touchdowns -- sound an awful lot like a running back.

All Montgomery needed was some time to get used to the intricacies of his new position and the kind of opportunity that presented itself Sunday at Soldier Field. On a bitterly cold day with a wind chill of minus-4 degrees at kickoff and without RB James Starks (inactive because of a concussion), Montgomery obliterated his previous career high of nine carries. In the process, he took some of the pressure off an ailing Rodgers, who hobbled around on a bum right calf.

The highlight was a potential 2-yard loss that Montgomery turned into a 61-yard gain in the first quarter.

In all, the Packers rushed for 226 yards -- easily their season high. Christine Michael also got into the act with a 42-yard touchdown, giving the Packers their first game with three rushing scores since Week 16 of the 2013 season against Pittsburgh.

But Rodgers' last throw, which traveled 52 yards past the line of scrimmage for his deepest completion of the season, will be most remembered.

"I saw Jordy put his hand out, figured that the safety on the back side hadn’t rolled to the middle, so they were playing a quarters look," Rodgers said. "I tried to put enough air on it for him to run underneath it, and that’s what he does. He makes those kind of catches."

However, with the running game that McCarthy’s team displayed Sunday, the rest of the NFC North should be concerned about the hard-charging Packers. At 8-6 and with everything falling their way for a change -- Detroit and Minnesota both lost -- the Packers stand just a game behind the first-place Lions (9-5) and a game ahead of the Vikings (7-7).

"Puts us in position to control our own destiny, and that’s all you can ask for at this time of year, especially going into two more division games and especially for what we’ve been through earlier," McCarthy said. "We’re getting stronger as far as our performance and our mentality, but we need to get healthy, because we’ve got another rough one at home on Saturday [against Minnesota]."

On Montgomery’s long run, he gained all 61 of those rushing yards after initial contact. The Packers haven't gained that many rushing yards after contact in a single game since Week 7, when they gained 67 against the Bears, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Montgomery’s 123 rushing yards before halftime was the most for a Packers running back since Ahman Green had 133 in Week 1 in 2001 against Detroit. It was the most in any half since Green had 166 in the second half against Denver in Week 17 in 2003.

The Packers needed every bit of what Montgomery gave them on the ground to help offset a tough day by receiver Davante Adams, who cost the Packers with a pair of dropped passes on drives that ended with field goals instead of TDs. Rodgers’ limited mobility and a defensive meltdown almost cost them, too.

"Every win you get, confidence grows," Nelson said. "But I don’t think it ever wavered in our losing streak. We just needed to win and play better football. Obviously, we have some areas that we can improve, and that’s where I think we can become a good team to a great team … you still have to improve and get better off of wins. You can’t settle just because you won. You’ve got to be able to really critique yourself just like you do in a loss, and pick it apart and fine-tune some things and be able to move forward."