GREEN BAY, Wis. -- When you think of quarterbacks who can beat you with their feet, who comes to mind?

Cam Newton?

Of course. He broke Steve Young’s NFL record for career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback last season; Newton has 46 and counting.

Tyrod Taylor?

He leads all NFL quarterbacks in rushing attempts (46) and rushing yards (319) this season.

Marcus Mariota and Andrew Luck?

They rank right behind Taylor in rushing yards.

Why do few think of Aaron Rodgers that way?

“I’m deceptively fast,” the Green Bay Packers quarterback said. “That’s what I like about it.”

Aaron Rodgers' career rushing day against the Falcons included this scramble on a late two-point conversion. Jason Getz/USA TODAY Sports

Rodgers isn’t your traditional running quarterback, and sometimes it’s easy to forget how effective he is on his feet because of how good he is with his arm. And then he reminds everyone with a performance like he had Sunday in Atlanta, in which he rushed six times -- all on scrambles -- for a career-high 60 yards. He also converted a two-point play that looked like a read-option but instead was “10 guys running one play and one guy doing something else,” Rodgers said.

Whatever it was, Rodgers looked like a natural running the ball into the end zone.

His 60 yards rushing against the Falcons was nearly 40 percent of his season total. He ranks sixth among quarterbacks in rushing yards -- behind Taylor, Mariota, Luck, Newton and Blaine Gabbert. Luck and Colin Kaepernick are the only other quarterbacks to rush for at least 60 yards in a game this season.

Half of Rodgers’ runs Sunday went for first downs, including a 13-yard scramble on third-and-3 in the fourth quarter that helped set up the go-ahead touchdown (and the ensuing two-point conversion).

Still, coach Mike McCarthy insisted this week that the Packers "are not going to make a living with Aaron Rodgers running the football,” which means future opponents shouldn’t have to worry about preparing for the read-option.

“You don’t want your quarterback to be your leading rusher, but it was still extremely productive for us,” McCarthy said. “It directly leads to Aaron understanding at the snap of the ball and pre-snap what the defense is giving him, and taking advantage of those opportunities.”

McCarthy said several of Rodgers’ scramble opportunities against Atlanta came when the Falcons were in man coverage, and therefore, many defenders had their backs to the quarterback.

The worry when Rodgers takes off is, of course, his health. He suffered a concussion in 2010 at Detroit when he scrambled and failed to slide at the end of the play. Since then, Rodgers has become more conscious of realizing when it’s time to go down.

“I’m always concerned when I’m running about when I’ve got to get down,” Rodgers said. “When you become a runner, you lose a lot of the help you get being a passer in the pocket. You’ve got to be smart about when you fall forward, and when you’re sliding. Even on the slide, making sure you’re giving the defenders enough time to pull up. I had a conversation with [Falcons cornerback Desmond] Trufant on the field, and he told me he was thinking about drilling me on one of them, on a slide where I kind of jump-slid, and I thanked him for not doing that.”

Rodgers is on pace to match his single-season high for rushing yards of 356 in 2010. He averaged 5.6 yards per carry that season. He's at the same average through seven games this season.

There’s some necessity for Rodgers to run given the state of the Packers' running backs. Without Eddie Lacy and James Starks -- even receiver-turned-running back Ty Montgomery was missing Sunday -- Rodgers and fullback Aaron Ripkowski were the Packers’ top two rushers against Atlanta.

“It’s been an asset we’ve had in the offense the last nine years and always as a thrower first outside the pocket, which I think can allow you to sneak in some runs and get some first downs there,” said Rodgers, who threw three of his four touchdown passes against the Falcons from outside the pocket. “It’s been a good weapon for us on third down on times. But again, it’s a secondary thing.”