"You need good outside-in, inside-out leverage," Capers said. "We had the screen called at times and alerted the guys to play the screen."

Green Bay's offensive struggles on third down (1-for-6 in the third and fourth quarters) contributed to a 74-53 difference in total plays and a 10-plus-minute discrepancy in time of possession.

Hundley completed just 13 passes for 84 yards, Jordy Nelson didn't have a gain longer than 6 yards, and Randall Cobb didn't have a ball thrown his way.

Hundley's game-tying and game-winning drives in the fourth quarter and overtime "says a lot about him," McCarthy said, and getting the win was the bottom line. But finding a rhythm and reliable production remains a priority.

"He knows he has things to work on … and how important these games are," McCarthy said. "We're not creating enough opportunities for our perimeter guys."

The ground game could see more of a 1-2 punch with rookies Jamaal Williams and Aaron Jones now that Jones is back from a knee injury and busted his lone carry Sunday for the game-winning 20-yard touchdown.

Williams is well north of 400 combined rushing and receiving yards over the last 3½ games, while Jones had a pair of 100-yard rushing games before his injury.

The possibilities of using the two in tandem are intriguing, to say the least.

"They're very instinctive runners," McCarthy said. "They're vertical runners. They don't waste time. You don't see them dancing in the hole. They do a good job accelerating and hitting the crease.

"The offensive line likes to block for those kind of guys. It makes them play faster."

The Packers need to find another gear as the final quarter of the season begins this week with the road game at Cleveland.

Green Bay needs to win out and get help to have any realistic shot at the playoffs. As for the help against teams like the Falcons, Panthers and Seahawks, McCarthy said, "Frankly, it doesn't matter."

Neither does Rodgers' pending return right now, because it's all about winning the next game.