GREEN BAY, Wis. — In the middle of Super Bowl week, an event the Packers surely thought they would be part of after leading the Seattle Seahawks 19-7 with little time remaining in the NFC Championship Game, Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy held his season wrap-up press conference.

The event was delayed because McCarthy suffered a significantly more tragic loss than a football game when his younger brother Joe died the Wednesday after the game. The funeral was Monday in Cranberry Township, Pa. Joe McCarthy was 47 and left behind a wife and three children.

Asked about the perspective gained from his brother’s death, McCarthy said, “Definitely. Life is precious. I don’t have the words or the emotional discipline to take you through it. It’s very difficult, and we’re pressing on as a family.”

He then went on with the press conference, talking about the crushing loss to the Seahawks and looking forward to 2015.

Perhaps the most notable news was that linebacker Clay Matthews wasn’t on the field for the Seahawks’ two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter because his knee was being checked. Matthews did return for overtime when Seattle scored the winning touchdown.

“I actually walked towards him (Matthews), because Jordy Nelson waved to me,” McCarthy said. “I talked to Clay, and he just said he needed a minute. Looking him in the eye and everything, I didn’t see any reason for concern there. But as far as the doctors, especially being a play-caller, I don’t get every play-by-play of what every guy was looked at during the course of the game. I really don’t even get that until after a home game until I go back through the training room and we have a list that we go through each guy he has seen.”

McCarthy also addressed the controversial decision by safety Morgan Burnett, who intercepted a Russell Wilson pass with 5:04 remaining in the fourth quarter. Rather than gain what appeared to be easy additional yards, Burnett slid down after receiving a “no mas” signal from linebacker Julius Peppers.

Defending Burnett, McCarthy said, “Those are decisions that are made in the heat of the battle. I agree with the intent of the decision. I clearly expected to move the ball and at least change the field position. The fact that Morgan went down. … that’s not Morgan’s fault, and I don’t think you go back and question that decision. Why he did it, I understand. The way we were playing at that point, defensively, we were in command of the game.”

McCarthy was also questioned about decisions he made early in the game to kick field goals rather than try and score touchdowns from deep in the red zone.

“The first fourth-and-1 was on the second series there,” McCarthy said. “I actually had called the fourth-down play when I called it on the headsets, that my third- and fourth-down calls would be 93-Iso, Wing-Rifle. With that, the penetration I saw on the second down, I saw it again on the third down on the back side, that’s why I decided to kick the field goal there.

“I think the one where Randall (Cobb), we had the ball on the third down, he caught it, the call we have is ‘Duke,’ the route concept. If I recall, that was fourth-and-2, so I took the points there. I know there was one more a little higher in the red zone.

“I think it’s convenient to go for it now, but like I said, you have a game plan. You feel how you match up going into the game, was very confident with the defense going into it and just the way they started. Eleven series into the game, our defense had kept our opponent to zero points. That’s where my confidence was.”

Finally, McCarthy discussed the fake field goal that resulted in Seattle’s first touchdown of the game while also answering questions about the club’s special teams, which struggled all season. He refused to admit the touchdown was the result of poor self-scouting. On the play, holder Jon Ryan rolled left and lofted a pass to eligible tackle Garry Gilliam.

“It was a heck of a play by Jon Ryan,” McCarthy said. “You have to really look at it from that standpoint. … Creating the opportunity for them to make a big play is where we erred. Fakes are risky. Jon Ryan can run, we know that. From a responsibility standpoint, the pursuit and so forth, it would have been a footrace for the first down. Hey, we did not execute our particular responsibilities the best we can, and they had a better play called than we had called.”

As for the overall special teams, McCarthy said, “Thinking through the game, special teams, definitely a tough performance for us. Anytime you give up seven points and have a turnover, it’s very difficult to overcome that, especially when it occurs in the second half like it did.”

There was speculation that the job of special teams coach Shawn Slocum could be in jeopardy, but McCarthy wouldn’t address any specifics, saying, “Special teams has been no different than offense and defense. It comes down to healthy scheme, knowing your opponent. You’re looking for the personnel matchups and ultimately executing the fundamentals. Our special team errors have been critical more because of the timing of it. It definitely showed up in the Seattle game.”

He did say, however, relating to the coaching staff, “We’ll look at everything. We’ll look at every job description, every job responsibility, performance, mine included, and we’ll look to make changes.”

Overall, McCarthy insisted the loss to Seattle will be a positive.

“Every game you compete in is a unique experience, and the only way you benefit from that experience is you have to be able to learn from the victories and defeats,” he said. “That’s the mindset of an outfit, that’s the mindset of a champion. That will never change. The 2015 football team will not bear the burden of what happened in 2014 or before that. That’s not the way we operate. We won’t internalize the things that go on outside our building.

“We’re going to create another opportunity to build the best football team that we can in 2015, and we’re going to go for it.”