The Packers Fired Coach Mike McCarthy After Losing To The Cardinals At Home

After 13 seasons as the head coach of the Green Bay Packers, Mike McCarthy has been fired.

The team made the decision official just an hour after the Packers lost 20-17 to the Arizona Cardinals at Lambeau Field in what feels like something that’s been inevitable for some time in Green Bay.

Joe Philbin will take over as interim head coach for the remainder of the year, as the 4-7-1 Packers seem all but out of playoff contention. Packers president Mark Murphy released a statement on McCarthy’s firing through the team.

“The 2018 season has not lived up to the expectations and standards of the Green Bay Packers. As a result, I made the difficult decision to relieve Mike McCarthy of his role as head coach, effective immediately,” Murphy said. “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. 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.”

McCarthy had come under fire for in-game decisions and the Packers’ game plan, particularly offensively, over the course of the season as Green Bay failed to live up to expectations. He and Aaron Rodgers had traded jabs in the media at times after losses, which seemed to signal a change would eventually come.