Packers Morning Buzz: Mike McCarthy makes sense for Giants, Panthers jobs

Welcome to your Morning Buzz, rounding up news and views regarding the Green Bay Packers from around the web and here at PackersNews.com.

We'll start with Ralph Vacchiano of SNY putting former Packers coach Mike McCarthy on his short list of candidates to get the Giants job if Pat Shurmur gets fired. The Giants fell to 2-10 after losing to the Packers 31-13 on Sunday.

Vacchiano writes:

Mike McCarthy, former Green Bay Packers head coach

One of the finalists for the Jets' vacancy in January, the 56-year-old is most accomplished coach on the market. He was 125-77-2 in 13 seasons with the Packers that included nine playoff berths and a Super Bowl championship.

The knock on him has always been that he should've won more with Aaron Rodgers, but he did have eight 10-win seasons and won 10 playoff games. Rodgers became Rodgers under McCarthy's stewardship.

So Daniel Jones would be in pretty good hands.

You can see Vacchiano's other candidates here:

And the firing Tuesday of Carolina coach Ron Rivera creates another opportunity:

If the playoffs started today ...

But they don't, so JR Radcliffe tries to make sense of all the complex NFC playoff scenarios:

Green Bay's defense has been suspect against the run:

Tom Silverstein and former Packers safety LeRoy Butler look at the good and bad in the passing game against the Giants:

On the same day the Packers announced the signing of kick returner Tyler Ervin:

The Packers benefited from the Vikings' loss Monday at Seattle, but might have gained more if the Seahawks had lost, writes Bill Huber of SI.com:

The Seahawks have stamped themselves as prime Super Bowl material, but doubts remain:

Kirk Cousins played well Monday night in Seattle, but made a crucial mistake that extinguished the Vikings' chances, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk:

The Packers remain behind the Vikings in ESPN's power rankings:

Green Bay moves ahead of Minnesota into the No. 6 spot in Dan Hanzus' power rankings for NFL.com. Hanzus writes this about the Packers:

Has Aaron Rodgers finally found a dependable second banana in the Packers' receiving group? Green Bay hoped either Marquez Valdes-Scantling or Geronimo Allison would make the leap in 2019, but the real breakout candidate might be Allen Lazard, who caught 3 of 3 targets for 103 yards and a touchdown in a 31-13 win over the Giants. Davante Adams (two touchdowns on Sunday) remains the clear-cut No. 1 option in Green Bay's attack, but Lazard could be a huge piece for Rodgers, who appears to be gaining confidence in the undrafted second-year pro. Rodgers could also use some more help in the backfield, where Aaron Jones has gone cold in recent weeks. Green Bay's offense has been at its best when Matt LaFleur has been able to utilize Jones' ability as a runner and a receiver. Don't be surprised if the Packers make that a priority this week against the Redskins.

You can check out Hanzus' entire rankings here:

Green Bay and Minnesota are tied in The MMQB's rankings:

And despite their rout of the Giants, the Packers actually slipped down a spot in the USA Today power rankings:

And finally:

Contact Stu Courtney at (920) 431-8377 or scourtney@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @stucourt