Packers Head Coach Mike McCarthy

Opening statement:: “That was a tough, hard fought division victory. All victories are obviously good wins. Division wins are special wins. Our theme all week as a football team was about just keep playing. Frankly, personally, I didn’t tell the team this, but games coming off the bye week always make me a little nervous because you are out of the fire for 14 days. The bonus obviously is you’re well-rested. I thought it was important for us to get off and get started. I thought we did that. I was very, very impressed with our defense, particularly our young guys that just keep getting better and better each week. I thought they were obviously key to the victory. M.D. Jennings’ interception return for a touchdown was probably as big of a play or as exciting a play that I’ve seen in my time in Green Bay. Offensively we had some challenges. Their defensive front really challenged us today. I thought the run/pass mix as far as attempts was what we needed to do. Special teams I thought were just solid or okay. Pass judgment after we see the video.

“I’ll address the field goal situation…Mason’s (Crosby) got to put the ball through the uprights and that’s something that we have to do a better job of. I thought Mason had a very good week of work. Didn’t hit it today the way he needs to hit it. We will continue with Mason. We will not blink as far as our commitment to him. So with that I will take your questions.”
On the game winning drive:: “Frankly, we really wanted to get the ball to the perimeter. They played us in two-shell, veered us the run all day and when we needed (it) our perimeters players made big plays. I can’t say enough about (TE) Jermichael’s play and the yards after the catch. Then (WR) Randall Cobb making the catch obviously being well defended in the corner route for the touchdown.”
On how well the defense played:: “I thought defense played extremely well. On first down I thought Detroit did a pretty good job moving the ball against us but situation defense and the ability to get off the field was very big for us today. Once again, I thought M.D.’s play was big time. (S Jerron) McMillian and (CB) Casey Hayward and just to see our young guys. (LB) Dezman Moses having his first start and the number of reps that he played. I thought he was physical, tough and I’m saying all this without seeing the film but I was very impressed with our D.”
On if there is a special quality that allows certain players to come to life in crunch time:: “I think its part of who they are. I think it’s really important to stay in tune with what we really stressed going into this game. We knew it was going to be a tough game. We were focused on winning the discipline battle and the errant penalties which we did not. We had a number of penalties called against us today. But the opportunity to just keep playing and keep playing so that you do cash in when your opportunity comes, I thought our team did a good job with that and that’s why good teams win these kind of games. We’re a good team. I thought that we grooved as a team today which frankly, that’s always my only focus that it’s about winning but also growing. So I thought we definitely took a step in both directions.”
On making adjustments in the second-half:: “We did not change our plan during the course of the game.”

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers

On what started to click on the last drive:: “We just had to have it. You know, we talked about it on the sidelines and said if our defense holds, it gives us a chance to win it and we’ve got to make the most of it. But it was a struggle. We didn’t play our best on offense, but when our best was needed we were able to come through.”
On the long pass to TE Jermichael Finley late in the game:: “Yeah, that was a play that Jermichael (Finley) we talked about, it was so loud and I was trying to get his attention, and just remind him what he had on that. He did a nice job, we talked about it Saturday actually in the meeting about how we wanted to block that. Jordy (Nelson), I haven’t seen the film, but I’m guessing Jordy blocked at least two guys on that play because he came open late. Jermichael did a great job as Jordy was blocking there of not going out of bounds and coming up with a huge play for us.”
On bringing Finley off the line on his long reception:: “Yeah, it was a subtle little adjustment we had there that we talked about. Didn’t talk about it maybe against that defense but we kind of wanted to get something going there after missing Jordy (Nelson). I wanted to put us at third and reasonable. I didn’t expect to get 40 yards out of that but you’ve got to give Jermichael credit for making a big play like that.”
On the game-winning touchdown pass to WR Randall Cobb:: “Randall’s a big-time player for us. I mean, he’s going to be a guy for us for a long time and is going to be a big part of our offense. We wanted to get him in space and get the ball to him as much as we can. We give him the ball in the backfield, we try and throw screens to him, try and get him in space. That play we made a little check. They came on down and kind of double teamed and played in and out. Didn’t really throw the best ball there, but it gave him a chance. He made an incredible catch.”
On his evaluation of the Packers offense today:: : “We couldn’t get into a rhythm so it’s hard to judge. I feel like I had one real bad throw. Other than that, I threw the ball pretty well. But we didn’t have any rhythm on offense so it was hard to get plays. We did not have many attempts, not many plays on offense as due to poor third down conversions.”
On the play of his offensive line:: “Yeah, our line did a great job. There were just a couple breakdowns overall. They battled hard. It’s a tough front four and I thought they fought really hard. When we had to have it on the last drive, they came through and gave me enough time to get the ball in the end zone.”
On his receivers having a lot of yards after the catch:: “You know, the yards after the catch are important. I give Jermichael (Finley) a lot of credit on the touchdown catch. It’s a play we haven’t run in a while, probably weeks. I haven’t hit him on that in probably over a year, even counting practice. So, for him to still be awake on that play and understand although he’s kind of not in the progression, if things happen a certain way he could get it. The ball was low, he made a nice catch and he was able to get that in the end zone. I give him a lot of credit. Obviously, the play on the last drive was a great job of not going out of bounds. I think his head’s really been in it the last couple weeks. He and I have been spending time together and I’m excited about seeing him move forward.”

Packers TE Jermichael Finley

On battling:: “We was on the sideline. A-Rod brought us up together and said we need to stick together and just play our type of ball and that’s what we did on that last drive.”
On the last drive:: “That was trying to disguise the coverage and A-Rod, I was locked in, I was already on my route that he already had gave me. And he came to the line and switched it up and it was a big play. It was a gash and we needed that at the end of that drive.”
On how big of a win this is in the division:: “It’s huge, man. We’re going to need this down the road. One point win, four point win, it’s a W in the NFL. So, we needed that and now we’re rolling.”

Packers WR Randall Cobb

On his game winning touchdown:: “For him to still come to me at a critical time like that, I think that shows how much he’s trusting me right now. And, you know, I’ve got to make those plays for him. I don’t know what to say, I mean, he gave me that opportunity I just had to make that play.”
On his game winning touchdown:: “Well, I had a corner route and the defender jumped outside at the inside release which is usually the quarterback gets off of you whenever you inside release on the corner route and Aaron stuck with me. He gave me a chance. He threw it up and I just had to make a play for it.”
On what he sees in a play like that:: “You got to make it. You got to make the plays. I mean, you don’t have any opportunities you don’t get and especially at that time in the game, it’s critical. You don’t know how many more opportunities you’re going to get so you got to make the play when it presents itself.”
On how much it helps him that teammates have confidence in him:: “That’s big, that’s big. When your teammates, your coaching staff, whenever they have that trust in you and the believe in you and they know that you’re going to make plays for them, that’s big for any player and I’m very fortunate to be on a team with so many great players and so much great talent and still getting praise like that from my teammates. That’s big for me.”

Packers CB Tramon Williams

On QB Matthew Stafford:: “You take those things into consideration. We’ve seen Stafford play excellent, you know, all last year. And he’s been doing some good things this year also, so whenever you go back and look at stuff like that, you’ve got to go back and consider what kind of duress he was under and things like that. That was our job. Even though we didn’t have Clay (Matthews), and a lot of guys probably think we weren’t going to get a lot of pressure, I think the guys did an excellent job.”
On Stafford making sidearm throws:: ““We saw a couple of them on film. But, you know, sometimes the guys make the plays and sometimes they didn’t.”
On if Stafford’s sidearm throws were something they could jump on:: ““You know, I don’t know. You always, like I said, you always want to have a guy under duress and make him throw those balls. I mean, obviously, if I was Stafford myself, personally, if I had Calvin Johnson on my team I may take a could chances and flick those things up there, too. But, you know, sometimes you’re going to make plays, sometimes it’s going to go against you. So, I’m pretty sure he’ll be able to live with it.”

Packers S M.D. Jennings

On his interception return for a touchdown:: “You know, just playing the defense and we always talk about tips and overthrows and the ball was tipped and I was in the right position to make a play on the ball.”
On what he saw in the open field:: “You know, I saw a bunch of offensive lineman. I was like ‘Man, I can’t let an offensive lineman tackle me.’ My guys did a great job blocking for me and leading me to the end zone.”
On battling against the Lions:: “Yeah, you know, all week coach kept talking, he talked about just keep playing and that’s what we did. In all three phases of the game we just kept playing.”