Last season, the Green Bay Packers entered as the league’s youngest team with a first-year starting quarterback and an overhauled group of playmakers. In contrast, they invested in the defense and expected them to “carry” the offense as they developed chemistry and adapted to the scheme.
The Packers finished 9-8 and clinched a playoff berth in 2023. Despite a rough stretch of losses in October, the offense often kept Green Bay in games as the defense struggled against the run and remained inconsistent against the pass. Last season, the defense allowed game-winning drives from Desmond Ridder, Jimmy Garoppolo, Kenny Pickett, and Tommy DeVito. Bryce Young had the best game of his career. Ironically, all of these quarterbacks have since been benched.
In the offseason, Green Bay moved on from Joe Barry and brought in Jeff Hafley, introducing a shift from a 3-4 to a 4-3 scheme. With the offense now having a full year of chemistry, they could help lighten the load for the defense, which people expected to go through an adjustment period under the new system.
Green Bay’s defense gave up 34 points to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1 in Brazil. However, Hafley’s adjustments began to take effect afterward. The defense only allowed 10 points to the Indianapolis Colts and 14 to the Tennessee Titans in the following games. In Week 4, the Minnesota Vikings scored 28 points in the first half, but the defense held them to only three points in the second, which kept Green Bay in the game.
In Week 5, the Packers held the Los Angeles Rams’ Super Bowl-winning coach and quarterback to 19 points on the road, or just 12 points, excluding Jordan Love’s pick-six. They followed up by allowing only 13 points to the Arizona Cardinals’ offense, which just scored 29 against the Chicago Bears’ top-five EPA/play defense this week. In Week 7, Hafley’s defense limited C.J. Stroud to the worst passing performance of his career.
The Detroit Lions entered Sunday with a top-four offense in EPA/play, EPA/pass, and EPA/rush, scoring 31 or more points in their last four games. Green Bay’s defense held them to only 17 points without Jaire Alexander and Evan Williams.
The Packers have a top-10 defense in EPA/play, EPA/pass, and EPA/rush. They lead the league in takeaways and consistently keep Green Bay in games. However, the offense has faced its share of struggles this season.
Entering Week 9, Green Bay’s offense had been penalized 67 times, including 13 false starts and 11 holdings, four delay of game penalties, and an offensive pass interference. Additionally, Jayden Reed was tied with Amari Cooper for the most drops in the league, while Dontayvion Wicks leads all wideouts with at least 30 targets in drop rate. The receiving corps had six drops against the Lions, including one by Wicks in the end zone.
Love threw his 10th interception of the year against the Lions, and he leads the league in picks. He addressed the issue in his post-game press conference. “Putting the ball in jeopardy way too many times,” he said. “It’s definitely something I have to clean up.”
Love threw two interceptions against the Houston Texans, with the first putting Houston in the red zone, though Green Bay’s defense held them to a field goal. He also threw a red-zone pick against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the defense bailed him out with an interception of their own. Against the Rams, Love threw his first career pick-six in the second quarter, giving Los Angeles a 13-7 lead and momentum. However, the defense limited the Rams to six points for the rest of the game.
The 2024 Packers are the complete opposite of last year’s team. The defense is playing lights out while the offense keeps making the same mistakes. Without Jeff Hafley as defensive coordinator, Green Bay might have a losing record and be at the bottom of the division. Now, heading into the bye week, Jordan Love and the offense have nearly 14 days to regroup. When they return, they’ll face the Bears, San Francisco 49ers, and Miami Dolphins in an 11-day stretch, and they have to be on the same page to continue the playoff push.
