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GREEN BAY, Wisconsin (AP) – The Green Bay Packers have no win on the road and the question of job safety from coach Mike McCarthy is raised.
However, they enter the game of Sunday night in Minnesota, following the Vikings of a match for the last place on the board of wild cards NFC.
& # 39; & # 39; We understand perfectly where we are. We understand what our bottom line is, "McCarthy said Monday. & # 39; & # 39; We must win on the road. It's something we have not done. & # 39; & # 39;
The game against the Vikings will be the fourth game on the road to Green Bay in five straight games. They were tied or ahead in the fourth quarter at the Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots and again against the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday, but they lost all three games.
The bad news for the Packers is that the last defeat left them at 4-5-1. The good news is that the hunt for the playoffs is confusing. As Chicago took control of the NFC North race on Sunday night with a win over Minnesota, the Vikings (5-4-1) led the Seattle Seahawks (5-5), the Dallas Cowboys (5-5) and the Packers in pursuit of last place in the playoffs.
"We understand that there is still a lot of football," said Tramon Williams safety. & # 39; & # 39; As long as there is still a lot of football, we know we have a chance to be where we want to be. Will it be easy? No, but we are optimistic. & # 39; & # 39;
After playing Thursday, the Packers had a short break to prepare for this game in Seattle. Four starters did not travel to Seattle because of injuries – receiver Randall Cobb, safety Kentrell Brice, cornerback Kevin King and linebacker Nick Perry.
Jimmy Graham was injured in the first half and defensive tackle Mike Daniels was injured in the second half. McCarthy said Graham "intends to try to play" while Daniels will miss two weeks.
The return of Cobb and Graham could reinforce an incoherent offense. Green Bay ranks eighth in yards, but only 13th in points because of poor production in the third inning (19th) and the red zone (14th). Cobb played a huge game against Chicago in Week 1 with nine catches for 142 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown.
In the past nine games, however, he has been inactive five times and has 17 assists for 116 yards and no touchdowns. Graham is second on the team with 34 receptions, but has only managed one shot in three of his last four games.
& # 39; & # 39; Everyone is very frustrated. Nobody wants to lose games, "said Cobb. & # 39; & # 39; We do not work every day during the off season to get in shape in the season, go from one training camp to another and fight each other at the training camp, and go through the seasons and lose games. Nobody wants to do that. This is not funny. We want to win games and we have won a lot here. We need to find a way to get back on track. & # 39; & # 39;
The Packers are running out of time no matter what the playoff rankings suggest. A sixth straight road defeat on Sunday would put Green Bay to two Minnesota games (plus the one-on-one tiebreaker) with five games to play.
Still, the Packers have a chance. They were 4-6 at this point of the 2016 season and have reached the NFC championship. Among the top four contenders for last place in the playoffs, the Packers have the easiest remaining schedule. Their last six opponents have a combined victory percentage of (.425), followed by the Seahawks (.442), Cowboys (.500) and Vikings (.542).
"Our reality is where we expect," McCarthy said. & # 39; & # 39; Regardless of anyone's opinion, we hope to achieve the goal we set for ourselves in April. This is the close-up. But that's not all we're talking about right now.
& # 39; & # 39; Because part of the message today, there is not much to say. We know where we are, we knew that this four-game sequence was going to be a challenge, we did not reach our goal as well as we would like, but now we have six seven-day periods here. We have every intention of going to Minnesota and winning this game. "
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