Two disappointing teams meet in Green Bay
Sunday’s game at Lambeau Field between the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons was supposed to be between two of the NFL’s superpowers. As the season evolved, it then looked like a matchup between two embattled coaches.
As it turns out, neither will be the case.
The Packers (4-7-1) and Falcons (4-8) are also-rans entering the final quarter of the season. Green Bay fired longtime head coach Mike McCarthy after Sunday’s brutal home loss to the woeful Arizona Cardinals. Joe Philbin, a close friend of McCarthy and a former head coach of the Miami Dolphins, was named interim head coach.
“I haven’t slept very much,” said Philbin, who returned this season for his second stint as McCarthy’s offensive coordinator. “You come back here and you want to be part of the solution. You want to help a guy that’s been a great man, he’s been a great coach, been a friend, and you feel like you let him down. So it’s been busy, and I told the team, what he’s done here speaks up for itself. You know, I know how he feels (to be fired). I’ve been through it. It’s not fun.”
On the other sideline, Falcons head coach Dan Quinn led Atlanta past McCarthy’s Packers in the 2016 NFC Championship Game. A four-game losing streak has effectively ended his team’s chances. He got an overwhelming vote of confidence recently from team owner Arthur Blank.
“I wasn’t looking for any of those things in that way, but I definitely appreciated it,” Quinn said. “And I recognized that the questions go with the territory when you fail more tests than you pass. Certainly, these two teams who are strong and proud teams have had disappointing seasons up to this point.”
The quarterbacks will be in the spotlight for what’s expected to be a chilly day. Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers is suffering through a miserable season. Rodgers, however, smashed Bart Starr’s franchise-record interception-free streak on Sunday, with his 336 consecutive passes closing in on Tom Brady’s NFL-record 358. But his 31-of-50 performance against the Cardinals generated only 233 yards and 17 points on the scoreboard. Shortly after time expired, McCarthy was fired.
“I think we all share in the responsibility. That’s the toughest part,” Rodgers said. “The players are the ones who are playing. Obviously, coaches have responsibility to prepare and teach and demand but the players on the field are performing and obviously our performance level wasn’t such that we could keep Mike in his place.”
Ryan is having a marvelous season, though it hasn’t shown up on the scoreboard. He’s completed 70.9 percent of his passes with 25 touchdowns, five interceptions and a 109.3 rating. But the Falcons are only 14th in scoring with 24.7 points per game. After a three-game winning streak reversed a 1-4 start, Atlanta has failed to reach 20 points in any of its four consecutive losses.
SERIES HISTORY: 30th regular-season meeting. Packers lead series, 15-14. The Falcons have won the last three matchups – all at home – including the 2016 NFC Championship Game. The Packers have won the last two meetings at Lambeau Field.
