Mike McCarthy has coached Week 17 games that haven't mattered. He's seen that side of it.
That didn't work out well in 2011 when the 14-1 Green Bay Packers benched Aaron Rodgers and several other starters for the regular-season finale. Two weeks later, the Packers were soundly defeated by the New York Giants in the divisional round.
It's not that McCarthy wouldn't necessarily want to be 14-1 heading into this weekend rather than 11-4, but there are benefits to having so much on the line in this Sunday's matchup when the Detroit Lions arrive at Lambeau Field.
"I think it's a great thing," McCarthy said. "The fact of the matter we're playing in a playoff-type game is exactly the way you want to go into the playoffs. So I think it's great that Detroit and our records are the same and that we're playing for a title. I think this is exactly how you'd want it. I know that's the way I prefer it."
If Green Bay beats Detroit, the Packers are NFC North champions for the fourth consecutive year. A win would also bring with it a first-round bye. That could come as the No. 2 seed, but if the Seattle Seahawks lose to the St. Louis Rams, Green Bay would slide up to the top seed in the conference.
"Byes are valuable," McCarthy said. "That's why you fight like crazy to be a No. 1 seed or a No. 2 seed. Any time you have a chance to get that week off, I think it's important. I know some people believe in keep playing. We've done both. I think the bye is very beneficial, regardless of the outcome of the week after. It gives you a better chance to get your team ready. At the end of the day, best preparation usually leads to a better performance."
Aaron Rodgers was clearly bothered by a right calf injury that happened in the first quarter Sunday of the Packers' win over the Buccaneers. Rodgers finished with good numbers, including a 108.1 passer rating, but he wasn't able to move around the same on the field.
With the division on the line in six days, it's highly unlikely that Rodgers would sit out. But as the player with the best odds of being league MVP, Rodgers at less than 100 percent would still be a blow to Green Bay's offense.
"Aaron worked today," McCarthy said. "He's obviously sore. (Tuesday's) practice will be similar to a practice coming off Monday Night Football. We'll see how he is."
McCarthy didn't answer directly when asked whether Rodgers could be limited in practice this week.
"I know he's sore," McCarthy said. "Frankly, I'm worried about the whole team as much as the amount of reps. He told me he wants to work. I really haven't talked to the medical staff about his specific injury. But he was very upbeat and positive about it."
In the first six games this season, Clay Matthews had only one sack. While the typical dialogue was presented about sacks being overrated, expectations are very high for a player who signed the richest contract by a linebacker in NFL history less than two years ago.
In the past three games, Matthews has 5.5 sacks.
The big turnaround in Matthews' season came at the midseason bye when McCarthy and defensive coordinator Dom Capers decided to move their star player into a multi-position role. Splitting his time between inside linebacker in the nickel packages and outside linebacker in the base 3-4 defense, Matthews has put any early-season struggles well behind him.
"I think Clay has probably had his best year, in my opinion," McCarthy said. "What he's done going in to play inside linebacker with not a lot of reps prior to that I think speaks volumes. It's really a package we didn't get to early in the season or even much in training camp. I think he's been an excellent teammate.
"I think his versatility -- this is the most we've used him as far as the changing and the targeting for him. But more important, he's been a big factor in our run defense. Our run defense has taken a huge step the last eight weeks and he's definitely part of that."
Unlike the Lions, McCarthy decided to change up the schedule for the Packers this week. With Christmas falling on a Thursday, which would normally be a practice day, McCarthy didn't want his players or coaches working on the holiday.
"It's our Christmas week schedule," McCarthy said. "Obviously a very important game with Detroit. What we've done is Monday is really a Tuesday for us. The coaches were in game plan meetings all day. We brought the players in for a re-gen workout and then we had a team meeting and then we met with the players to do the introduction to the Detroit Lions game plan. Tomorrow, Tuesday, it will basically be a Wednesday for us. Wednesday will basically be a Thursday for us, with adjustments to it.
"The players and coaches will be off for Christmas on Thursday, then we'll be back on our normal schedule on Friday."
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