Mike McCarthy's grip on his job as Green Bay Packers head coach already appeared tenuous before Sunday's game vs. the Arizona Cardinals.
The Packers made it official following the Cardinals' stunning upset over the Packers in Green Bay, firing McCarthy just hours after the game concluded.
The Cardinals, who were two-touchdown underdogs, won just their third game of the season Sunday with a 20-17 upset over the Packers, their first victory in Green Bay since 1949. The loss moved the Packers to 4-7-1 this season and essentially moved them out of playoff contention.
McCarthy had been the Packers' head coach since 2006. He guided them to a 125-77-2 record and a Super Bowl XLV championship. But reports of a strained relationship between McCarthy and Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, along with the Packers' sub-.500 record, suggested McCarthy's days in Green Bay were numbered.
Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin has been named the Packers' interim coach.
“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,” Packers president and CEO Mark Murphy said in a statement. “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."
