The future of general manager Ted Thompson and coach Mike McCarthy will be questioned following the Packers' elimination from playoff contention.

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Randall Cobb has never seen a January without a playoff game in his NFL career, so his stance after Sunday's loss to the Carolina Panthers was understandable. He was asked if the reality that the Green Bay Packers' run of eight straight postseason appearances will come to an end had set in.

"No, not technically it hasn't set in yet," said Cobb, the seventh-year receiver. "We're hoping that there's still opportunity for us."

That opportunity officially ended Monday night, when the Atlanta Falcons dashed the Packers' hopes of an NFL-record-tying ninth straight playoff appearance. The Falcons' win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers eliminated the Packers from wild-card consideration the day after the Minnesota Vikings took the NFC North title away from Green Bay.

Now the Packers have to process the idea that their last two games are meaningless.

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ESPN wrote:

Would McCarthy really want to go into the final year of his contract with a new defensive coordinator?

McCarthy and Thompson are tied together, with both signed through the 2018 season (though most GM contracts run through the draft, which means Thompson is likely up in spring 2019). Perhaps McCarthy would be more willing to consider changes to his staff if he had the security of a new deal.