Packers head coach Mike McCarthy’s job security has been a story all season, but the final chapter may have begun with Thursday night’s loss in Seattle.
Specifically, McCarthy’s decision to punt on fourth-and-2 with the Packers trailing 27-24 with 4:20 left in the fourth quarter is being heavily scrutinized after the Seahawks ran out the clock from there and won the game. Although McCarthy said after the game that he “played the numbers” when he decided to punt, it’s hard to imagine what numbers he was thinking of. Anyone with a passing understanding of analytics would say he should have gone for it.
The Packers were down to one timeout at the time, and McCarthy blowing his timeouts early in the game has been a longstanding issue. Perhaps if the Packers still had all three timeouts, punting would have been more justifiable. But with one timeout, the decision was inexcusable.
McCarthy acknowledged that it was a game the 4-5-1 Packers needed.
“I think it’s obvious. We have five losses and we have not won on the road yet,” McCarthy said.
This may have been the loss that sealed McCarthy’s fate.