Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is sacked by Oakland Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack. Credit: Mike De Sisti

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Oakland, Calif. — When it came time to finish off an unworthy opponent, the Green Bay Packers adjusted their offense, scored some points and walked off O.co Coliseum with a 10th victory and a guaranteed playoff berth.

But as effective as coach Mike McCarthy's second-half adjustment was and as clear as it was that the Packers have a combination few other teams have — a pair of power running backs and a multi-purpose wide receiver — there was a vibe emanating from quarterback Aaron Rodgers after the game that portended trouble.

Rodgers, despite leading a 16-point second half that successfully used a heavy dose of Randall Cobb in the backfield instead of Eddie Lacy and James Starks, was as short and unwilling to engage reporters as he's ever been in a news conference.

When asked whether he was pleased with what the offense did, he said, "No."

When he was asked why, he said, "We weren't very effective. We had less than 300 yards. We had a terrible first half."

Later, when asked about where the offense was, he said, "We just don't really have a clear-cut direction. We got into some things with John (Kuhn) in there and four receivers, but we were too inconsistent."

McCarthy was equally upset about a first half that resulted in 97 yards and just over 3.0 yards per play, but he was definitely pleased with the way things opened up in the second half.

Asked about how he felt about his offense, McCarthy said, "I feel good about it. I'm not into style points or stats. It's fun to score a bunch of points and put up a bunch of yards, but everyone is fighting to get to the playoffs right now.

"The game in front of us (at Arizona) is going to be a big one, it's another tough road game in a tough environment and that's what we'll stay focused on."

Rodgers did not criticize anything McCarthy called or point any fingers at anyone, but while typically willing to dissect a game and talk about the good and the bad, he limited himself to short replies.

For example, asked about his ill-advised late interception that both cornerback David Amerson and safety Charles Woodson had in their arms before Amerson took control, Rodgers said, "I was trying to get it to 'Wood.' I underthrew it a little bit."

Last week, McCarthy took over the play-calling duties from associate head coach Tom Clements, who has helped develop Rodgers into a two-time MVP. If there's a problem between coach and quarterback, neither has said anything publicly. But Rodgers has not seen his production go up significantly in two games and except for a dominant run performance against Dallas and a just-good-enough second half Sunday, the offense hasn't taken a huge leap.

McCarthy got irritated when he was asked whether his team was in position to be successful in the playoffs.

"I'm sick of talking of the negativity that goes on here," he said. "We won 10 games. We lost three games on the last play. Denver beat us. That's the overview of our season. We have a chance to win 11 next week."

The changes McCarthy did make in the second half made a difference because the Packers rolled up 196 yards and 11 first downs.

The biggest adjustment came with dropping a commitment to power running with Lacy and Starks and switching to a match-up type game with Cobb in the backfield and four receivers in the lineup.

The Raiders came out playing their normal base five-man front and played with nickel personnel behind it. Thus, they were able to play the run like they normally would and still able to cover the three receivers the Packers had on the field.

It's a tactic other teams have used with success.

"It's not easy at all when we you're facing that front," guard Josh Sitton said. "You have to find a way to be successful on the ground getting them out of it or you have to throw them out of it.

"We weren't able to do that in the first half. In the second half, we were able to get them back in the right personnel."

McCarthy did that by putting Cobb in the backfield, which meant that if Cobb was moved out to wide receiver, the Raiders would have had to cover one of the receivers with a linebacker or safety. McCarthy used James Jones, Davante Adams and Jared Abbrederis to team with Cobb as the four receivers.

He brought John Kuhn into the game to create a power running option if Cobb was in the backfield.

"It was just match-up issues," Cobb said of how it stressed the Raiders. "It enabled us to see what kind of personnel they were going to put on the field, how they're going to counter that attack."

Cobb did not put up eye-popping numbers, but he did enough.

He ran the ball four times for 18 yards and caught nine passes for 40 yards, but his 19-yard reception in the fourth quarter kept a drive going that eventually allowed the Packers to increase their lead to 27-20. He also was able to draw several coverage penalties against the Raiders.

Maybe the biggest thing he did was get the other receivers some one-on-ones.

The guy who took advantage of them the most was James Jones, who caught six passes for 82 yards, including a 30-yard touchdown. Jones was able to exploit a match-up against backup cornerback D.J. Hayden several times.

"Second half we were much better," Jones said. "First two quarters, man, we were struggling. The receivers weren't doing a good job. But we came out — coach chewed us out, called the wide receivers out a little bit (at halftime) — got into our scheme and we went out there and made plays."

As sluggish as the offense looked, the Packers have the ability to go with two different attacks, the one they used to pile up 200 yards rushing against Dallas and the one that caused the Raiders to spread out and break off their five-man fronts.

Why they have these big lulls is something that McCarthy is going to have to work out, possibly with Rodgers. There was more optimism in the locker room among offensive players than there was from the quarterback.

"We're not playing the best football," Jones said. "We've still got a lot of work to do, but whenever you can come out here on somebody's home turf and get a win, it's a good feeling."