Packers: Mike McCarthy Reacts To 'Unexpected' Sacking, Rodgers Vows To Fight On

The Green Bay Packers’ hopes of making the postseason were all but extinguished following their 20-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. It will be the second consecutive year that they will be missing out on making the playoffs.

The Packers’ poor form this season that has seen them go winless on the road the entire campaign thus far and their loss to the Cardinals was the final straw for the management in terms of head coach Mike McCarthy’s future with the team.

The Green Bay franchise’s CEO and president Mark Murphy announced Sunday they had decided to part ways with their Super Bowl-winning coach with immediate effect as the team’s expectations were not met.

There were rumblings leading up to the game at State Farm Stadium that McCarthy’s future with the Packers was on the line, but according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Packers head coach was not expecting it to happen as quickly as it did.

Murphy thanked McCarthy for his 13 years of service at the helm, which yielded one Super Bowl and three trips to the NFC conference title game. He is also responsible for the development of Aaron Rodgers, who is considered among the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.

“Mike has been a terrific head coach and leader of the Packers for 13 seasons, during which time we experienced a great deal of success on and off the field,” Murphy said via a statement. “We want to thank Mike, his wife, Jessica, and the rest of the McCarthy family for all that they have done for the Packers and the Green Bay and Wisconsin communities. We will immediately begin the process of selecting the next head coach of the Green Bay Packers.”

Despite the sudden dismissal after 13 years in-charge, McCarthy had only good things to say after he was informed about the termination of his services, saying: "I'm proud I was part of the Packers family, proud to be part of such a great organization,” as quoted on 247 Sports.

Meanwhile, Rodgers, who was said to have had a minor falling out with McCarthy in recent weeks, was adamant that the team will fight until the end. He vowed to carry on until the end of the season when asked if he is tempted to rest his knee, which was injured during the opening game of the season.

“Hell no, come on,” Rodgers said post-game despite their post-season chances all but extinguished, as quoted on Packers Wire. “I’ve come this far, I’m gonna finish this thing off.”

The Packers quarterback was also almost certain that his knee will not need surgery during the off season. He revealed the discomfort was only evident when he played on artificial turf during midweek training sessions.

“I’m not sure at this point. I feel good. I’m able to move around the way I want,” the 2010 Super Bowl champion added. “I have a little bit of soreness during the week, but that’s more related to playing on indoors on turf when we move inside to the Hutson Center for practice. I’ve been feeling pretty good. I don’t expect to need any cleanup.”