After 13 years in charge, Mike McCarthy was relieved of his duties as head coach of the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night.

The 10-17 defeat to the Arizona Cardinals was the final straw for team president Mark Murphy.

“The 2018 season has not lived up to the expectations and standards of the Green Bay Packers,” Murphy said in a statement. “As a result, I made the difficult decision to relieve Mike McCarthy of his role as head coach, effective immediately.”

It’s been a tough two years for the Packers, the roster around superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been found wanting and much of that is down to McCarthy’s construction of this team.

Sunday’s loss was their third straight and five of six and though the football world knew there would be a new head coach in Lambeau next season, the firing still came as a shock.

“It was clearly a very disappointing loss, it was a game we needed to win,” McCarthy said in his final press conference, before his firing was announced.

Part of the reason the firing was made during the season was to give the franchise the best possible chance to find the best candidate, one that will have to be on the same page as Rodgers.

Though that isn’t on the mind of the 35-year-old, who says his focus is on getting his teammates to “play with that pride” and focus on the next four games.

Asked if he would have a say in the hiring process, Rodgers said: “Yeah, I mean I’m not even thinking about that right now.”

Who can blame him.

Their play-off hopes are virtually non-existent but while there’s still hope, the priority will be finishing the season as strongly as possible.

The struggling Atlanta Falcons come to town on Sunday in interim head coach Joe Philbin’s first game in charge.