Cheesed at Arizona

Since 1992, the Green Bay Packers have been a powerhouse franchise for the NFL. My thoughts are that they are overrated, especially more so in recent memory compared to the Brett Favre years. That being said, I'd figured there would be a point where head coach Mike McCarthy was going to be fired. Let's just say I wasn't thinking it was going to happen until the end of the year. Whatever the case, the Packers let him go after an embarrassing loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

What was the problem? If I were to guess, it was the expectations for the year. A different look on both sides of the ball. This is with a healthy Aaron "Hollywood" Rodgers, who was coming off an injury season along with being shut down towards the end of the year. The passing is there. A problem lies in the fact that he has no one to throw it to. Davante Adams is the only guy that has put up any valiant effort, eclipsing 1,100 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns for the year. The next big receiver is tight end Jimmy Graham, but he and two others are tied for second in touchdown receptions at two. Graham's yards are also at just above 450. I think teams are willing to give up big plays to Adams, but know to stop the others. A banged up and declining Randall Cobb doesn't help either.

Ever since Ryan Grant's injury at the start of the 2010 season, Green Bay has not been a good running team. It seemed their fortunes would be decent with Eddie Lacy and James Starks for a few years, but after that, it's back to being abysmal. To be fair, Aaron Jones stats are okay and the best they have had in three years. That doesn't excuse the inconsistent ground game and the need to over rely on Rodgers. This one dimensional aspect usually does not work. In the 13 years of having McCarthy, only being able to produce one Super Bowl and a bunch of disappointment leads to poking a lot of holes at the way Green Bay is coached.

Of course, there's the defense. Since the 2010 season, it has either been very good, middle tiered, or dreadful. Even with giving up tons of yards, the Packers are a turnover machine. A reason why was the ability to pick off numerous quarterbacks. It's a completely different defense, and the struggles to create takeaways is noticeable. Outside of a few veterans, it's a rag tag group of young players trying to fit in with the veterans. It's not like it's going to be a quick fix, but good luck explaining it to Packer fans.

Ultimately, this comes down to questionable play calling, the poor running attack, and the group on defense. I think the writing was on the wall, even with the amount of success McCarthy has had since 2006. Too much disappointment. Whoever is the next coach will have some very big shoes to fill in. NFL title town is in Wisconsin and the expectations will be very high on whoever is next and if they can reach and win another Super Bowl. Until then, the Packers will have to finish the season in strong fashion. Their chances to have a playoff wild card spot diminished with this ugly loss.