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GREEN BAY White Ty Summers Jersey , Wis. — Mike McCarthy knows his job is on the line.The Green Bay Packers‘ 13th-year head coach acknowledged he is aware that the team’s 4-5-1 record has led to questions about his future.More Packers coveragePhotos of the Week: 7/21/19 – 7/27/19Packers rookie Gary’s biggest critic is himselfTop Tweets: Former Badger TJ Watt has impressive four-year transformationPHOTOS: 2019 Green Bay Packers training campPackers’ Rodgers, LaFleur ironing out offense, building chemistryBut he insisted he and the team are focused on next week’s pivotal NFC North matchup with the Vikings in Minnesota, and not the uncertainty surrounding his job security.“That’s the job. That’s the way this business has gone,” McCarthy said Friday. “We set a standard here the past 12 years, and it’s our responsibility to play to that standard. That’s the way we approach it.”The 27-24 loss in Seattle on Thursday left the Packers 0-5 on the road and third in the division behind the Chicago Bears (6-3) and the Vikings (5-3-1). A seemingly softer portion of the schedule follows next week’s showdown with Minnesota, but a loss in that game could put the Packers in a hole too deep to climb out of.McCarthy has had teams rally late in seasons past, including in 2016, when quarterback Aaron Rodgers famously said the team could “run the table” over the final six weeks. After starting 4-6, the Packers won eight straight games to win the NFC North and advance to the conference title game, in which they fell to the Atlanta Falcons.That was Green Bay’s fourth NFC championship game under McCarthy, who led the 2010 team to the Super Bowl title. His Packers made the playoffs in eight consecutive seasons before missing the postseason last year, when Rodgers missed nine-plus games with a broken right collarbone.“I have great confidence. I’ve been in this position before, so I have confidence in how we do things,” McCarthy said. “You have to react — there’s no doubt about that — but you can’t overreact. So, you’ve just got to stay in tune with the specifics and the details of why we’re not getting it done in those situations.”The Packers have lost three of their last four games, despite being in position in the fourth quarter to win on the road against the Rams Davante Adams Jersey , Patriots and Seahawks.“We’re not going to turn on each other or nothing. We love each other and we stick together as a team,” defensive back Tramon Williams said. “Is it frustrating? Yes, it’s very frustrating to come out on these types of losses when you know you should be winning these games.”Against the Seahawks, the Packers had a 21-20 lead with 9 minutes left and were facing third-and-5 at Seattle’s 12-yard line when Rodgers was sacked, forcing them to settle for a field goal to make it 24-20.Seattle responded with a 75-yard touchdown drive. When Rodgers missed an easy third-down throw on the ensuing possession, McCarthy opted to punt on fourth-and-2 with 4:20 to go. Green Bay never got the ball back.“It’s tough losing on the road. It’s tough losing by one possession. Obviously, I’m frustrated, not just by the last throw but some other stuff that we could’ve done better out there,” Rodgers said. “This is an important, obviously, six-game stretch left. I still believe we have a lot to play for.”McCarthy said Friday that he still felt it was a “solid decision” to punt in that situation, and that his decision not to challenge a 34-yard Russell Wilson-to-Tyler Lockett completion that set up the go-ahead touchdown was based on not having a clear replay to look at in the coaches’ booth. But he acknowledged both calls were open to second-guessing.“Frankly, those are the kind of decisions that keep all of us up,” McCarthy said. “Now that I’m standing here and I know what the result is of them running out the clock, you go, ‘Oh, yeah Ray Nitschke Jersey White , I wish I would’ve went for it on fourth-and-2.'”“My first reaction was to go for it,” he added. “But we talked it over game management-wise and that’s the decision I made.”Packers have decision to make with Josh Jackson as injuries hit cornerback room When Davon House replaced Kevin King on Sunday, Packers fans collectively groaned. Those pained noises turned to agonizing screams when House gave up a 75-yard touchdown to Stefon Diggs, no thanks to safety non-help from Kentrell Brice. Mike McCarthy pointed specifically to the King injury as a turning point in the game, claiming the team didn’t respond well to the injury. The easy rebuttal is neither did Mike Pettine by putting House on the boundary instead of rookie Josh Jackson. Shortly after the torching, Jackson returned to the field and House was nowhere to be seen. Making the decision even more curious, Jackson had been playing early in the game, when King was still healthy. Why not simply slide him to the boundary, or better yet, put Jaire Alexander out there and put Jackson in the slot where he has shown promise early in his career?Oddly, this week could be perfectly fine to start House on the outside and let Jackson assume his role as tight-end stopper against a Washington offense with noticeably fewer playmakers at receiver. In Week 1, Jackson held Trey Burton to just one catch for 15 yards as his primary defender. Pettine went to defensive-back-centric personnel looks, playing six or more defensive backs nearly two-thirds of the defensive snaps. With Jordan Reed and Chris Thompson the focal points of Jay Gruden’s offense, such an approach could once again prove the prudent strategy. Allow Alexander to match Jamison Crowder, who plays mostly from the slot, and simply don’t worry too much about Tramon Williams and House on the outside. Paul Richardson and Josh Doctson simply haven’t proven they can beat anyone consistently. Perhaps more importantly, Alex Smith isn’t going to heave the ball down the field. Through two weeks Aaron Rodgers Jersey White , only three starting quarterbacks average fewer intended air yards per attempt.He’s even behind Mitch Trubisky.As it turns out, one big year throwing deep with Andy Reid and Tyreek Hill didn’t stop Smith from being who he really is: Checkdown Charlie. Against the Colts in Week 2, Thompson and Reed combined for 19 catches on 22targets for 147 yards, nearly half of Smith’s total attempts and yardage output. Reed is Washington’s best receiver, while Thompson is the team’s leading receiver. Pettine can confidently target them with cornerbacks, much like he did with Burton and Tarik Cohen, make Washington try to run the ball, and dare Alex Smith to beat coverage over the top. Smith still struggles to get through his progressions, preferring instead to see his first read and then look to his checkdown when it’s not available. Pettine expertly took away Trubisky’s first read in Week 1 and forced him to hold the ball longer than he wanted. Smith won’t hold it, but rather look for Thompson or even Adrian Peterson who caught three passes for 30 yards of his own against the Colts. Last season, teams like the Saints destroyed the Packers with pass-catching running backs, en route to a 29th defensive ranking against running backs according to football outsiders. Green Bay will welcome a game plan that includes pounding Peterson 20 times or more, particularly with the Washington offensive line coming off a horrid week against a thoroughly mediocre Colts front. Shawn Lauvao, Chase Roullier, and Morgan Moses struggled mightily to win their matchups and even a solid guard like Brandon Scherff wasn’t without his faults. Pettine can trust his up-the-middle defense to hang in there against this group, particularly if Oren Burks comes back, and once again play undersized. The return of Burks and safety Josh Jones could also buoy the bid to slow down the non-receivers for Washington. Jones possesses better athletic ability to play in the box compared to a player like Jermaine Whitehead and we know Burks easily possesses better coverage ability than any of the linebackers who have had to play with him sidelined. Jones said he expects to play against Washington Womens Ray Nitschke Jersey , though we’ll have to wait and see his status later in the week. The same is true for Burks, but even if they can’t go, the Packers have already shown a formula for slowing down tight ends and running backs when they’re the focal point of the offense. If the King injury lingers, there could be future questions about where to play a talented rookie corner like Jackson, though it might not matter in Week 4 against the Bills. McCarthy said Wednesday he hopes the King injury isn’t serious, but that’s not the same as saying it isn’t. This defense would be better with King on the field, but in a matchup with Washington, using House as his replacement, actually provides the ideal opportunity to eschew traditional substitution patterns (in this case, playing the better player at the position), in order to prioritize specific one-on-one matchups. In this case, Jackson versus Reed makes the Packers defense better than Jackson versus (Literally pick a Washington receiver). In the NFL, matchups change every week and the rookie from Iowa is already proving his versatility by being able to play on the boundary, in the slot, and as a de facto safety. That versatility could pay off this week for Pettine and this defense. Playing House over Jackson in Week 2 was the wrong decision. In Week 3, it could be the ideal call.