GREEN BAY – Coach Mike McCarthy's voice was sharp and edged with urgency, as he spoke to reporters following the Packers' 17-13 loss to the Chicago Bears on Thursday night.
"Difficult loss. You need to win your home games. That's the thought process. We didn't get it done tonight. We had opportunities to catch the football, protect the football. We didn't do a good job. When you emphasize something and you don't execute it, it's frustrating," McCarthy said.
At 7-4, the Packers fell out of a tie with the Vikings for the NFC North lead. The Vikings play at Atlanta on Sunday.
Underscoring McCarthy's frustration are four failed pass attempts from the 8-yard line in the final minute of the game. The drive began at the Packers 20-yard line with 2:45 to play. The big play in the drive was a 32-yard completion from Aaron Rodgers to Randall Cobb that carried to the Bears 19.
"We had an opportunity down there at the end and didn't get it done," McCarthy said. On third down, Rodgers threw for James Jones near the right-front corner of the end zone. The ball went into and out of Jones' hands.
Dropped passes were the Packers' major failing in this game. Second-year wide receiver Davante Adams was guilty of several drops.
"Didn't have a very good day today," McCarthy said when asked about Adams' drops. "The consistency we're getting in certain areas needs to pick up."
The passing game, once the Packers' calling card, continued its slump. In his postgame interview, McCarthy spoke candidly of some of the passing game's problems.
- On a fourth-quarter interception Rodgers threw: "It's a basic route. It didn't look like it was a very good route," McCarthy said of a pass intended for Adams.
- Of the Bears' strategy on the four plays from the 8-yard line, McCarthy said: "I expected coverage. They had been playing coverage. We didn't win on the perimeter."
Eddie Lacy reached the 100-yard rushing mark for the second consecutive game, but his fumble in the second quarter led to the Bears' first touchdown.
"The ball was away from his body. The defender hit it from behind. That's not how you carry the ball," McCarthy said. "We do more damn ball drills in the history of football and it didn't show up tonight."
The Packers and Bears faced off on Thanksgiving night for the 192nd time; the rivalry is the NFL's oldest. Photos by Jim Biever, Packers.com.
Chicago was held to 290 yards, but the Packers defense allowed an 83-yard drive for a field goal early in the fourth quarter. It became the difference in the game.
"You have to take care of business at home and we didn't do that tonight," McCarthy said.
The Packers play at Detroit next Thursday night. It'll be the first of four games in December that could decide where or if the Packers play in the postseason.
"We're going to go beat Detroit, that's where we're going to go from here. We're not getting it done in the classroom. We have to demand more. We have to make changes … whatever we have to do to play better when we line up," McCarthy said.
