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Mike McCarthy stands behind Packers' Mason Crosby

Greg Jennings might not be able to contribute on the field, but he's the No. 1 cheerleader on the Green Bay Packers' sideline.

After Packers' Mason Crosby missed his second official field-goal attempt -- and third overall -- Jennings attempted to cheer up the struggling kicker.

Fox cameras caught the Pro Bowl receiver, who still was out with a groin injury, playfully using Crosby as a punching bag -- either that or Jennings was asking Crosby about his Smellf.

Most viewers probably thought the same thing: Good try, Greg, but that is a dead man walking.

Not so fast. Packers coach Mike McCarthy said after Sunday's fourth-quarter victory that he has no plans to give his kicker the boot.

"We will continue with Mason," McCarthy said at his postgame news conference, via the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "We will not blink as far as our commitment to him."

Crosby had the yips worse than I.K. Kim. He has missed seven of his last 13 field-goal attempts.

After pushing a 50-yard try at the end of a first half, Crosby got a gift from Lions coach Jim Schwartz, who took a timeout right before the snap and allowed the kicker a free practice shot. Crosby, however, overcompensated and ended up yanking it left.

Later, Crosby hooked a 38-yard attempt and looked like a sad puppy on the sideline. Enter Jennings and his spirited pep talk.

Crosby got off the schneid -- and perhaps saved his job -- with a 39-yard field goal to give the Packers a four-point lead that proved to be the final score in a 24-20 road victory.

McCarthy is standing behind his kicker, for now. Luckily for Crosby, Aaron Rodgers is his quarterback, and the Lions have been trying to stab themselves with The Fork for three weeks. Otherwise, Crosby could have cost the Packers a victory and put the Lions  in position to grab a share of the NFC North lead.

If Crosby's woes continue, McCarthy might have no choice but to make a change.

Follow Kevin Patra on Twitter @kpatra.

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