As Mike McCarthy and the Green Bay Packers arrived back at Lambeau Field at around 5 a.m. on Tuesday morning, they were met by picketing fans still outraged about the events of the previous night.
This was no ordinary loss. McCarthy's job right now is to get his team to ignore that frustrating reality and move on.
The coach saw the replay of Golden Tate's game-ending touchdown catch, and as you might assume, believes safety M.D. Jennings came down with the ball.
"It was just total chaos. ... I remember saying (on the sideline) that there's no way he caught that ball, just (by) the reaction of Seattle's bench," he recalled Tuesday. "There was no communication from the officials. At that time, it seemed totally chaotic. When (the referee) made the official announcement, we just left the field."
McCarthy said the Packers will send the play to the league office, as is standard procedure for all NFL teams. From there, they'll begin to prepare for the New Orleans Saints.
"We're in tune with staying true to the integrity of the Green Bay Packers," McCarthy said. "How we conduct ourselves, being professional during a tough time, during a challenge, a different challenge, but I'm excited about overcoming it. I look at this as an opportunity to put another feather in our cap."
No one would've blamed McCarthy had he not sent his players back on the field for that ridiculous point-after attempt. He deserves credit for keeping order as a farce unfolded around his team.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @danhanzus.
