Since Jeff Hafley took over as defensive coordinator in 2024, the Green Bay Packers have been one of the most zone-heavy teams in the league. Through the first nine weeks of the 2025 season, they’ve run zone coverage on 77% of their defensive snaps — with more than half of those plays coming from Cover 2 and Cover 3 looks.
Green Bay deployed zone coverage on just 57% of its defensive snaps in its loss to the Carolina Panthers. While the defense held Bryce Young to just 102 passing yards, it also allowed 163 rushing yards in a 16-13 upset.
“He threw 100 yards,” Micah Parsons said about Young. “So, if we lose a game like that in the NFL, we just didn’t play good. Not too many quarterbacks that’s throwing for 100 yards and winning a game.”
The Packers must find a way to shake off their loss to Carolina as they head into Monday night. The Philadelphia Eagles are coming to town in a matchup that could carry playoff seeding implications come January. It’ll be a tough test for Jeff Hafley’s defense to contain Saquon Barkley, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, and Co. – but this is the week Green Bay needs to lean heavily into its zone-coverage roots.
According to Sumer Sports, Philadelphia ranks third in EPA per play and seventh in success rate against man coverage, but only 24th in EPA per play and 31st in success rate against zone. Moreover, A.J. Brown leads all wide receivers in yards gained versus man coverage. With a thin secondary that will be without Nate Hobbs, Green Bay can’t afford to leave Keisean Nixon and Carrington Valentine isolated against Brown and Smith.
Edgerrin Cooper and Quay Walker will have a long night trying to contain Goedert over the middle. Goedert leads all players at his position in touchdowns against man coverage. Meanwhile, the Packers are the only team in the league with both starting linebackers ranked in the top 12 for yards allowed in man coverage.
Jalen Hurts posted a 44.7 QBR and threw two interceptions the last time these teams met in the regular season – in Brazil. In their most recent matchup, the 2024 NFC Wild Card game, Green Bay held Hurts to just 6.2 yards per attempt. It wasn’t pretty at all times, but the Packers arguably handed Hurts two of his worst performances of last season.
Philadelphia hasn’t asked much of Hurts’ arm this season. He ranks 25th in pass attempts and 30th in pass plays per game. Furthermore, he currently sits 22nd in passing yards and 17th in air yards. However, he’s remained efficient — ranking ninth in yards per attempt, seventh in adjusted yards per attempt, and second in completion percentage under pressure. Still, he’s been much more productive against man coverage than he has been versus zone.
Entering Week 10, Hurts ranked fourth in completion percentage and third in passer rating against man coverage. However, he’s only 13th in completion rate and 12th in passer rating versus zone. Moreover, he sits sixth in catchable pass rate against man, but drops to 14th when facing zone defenses.
The Packers need to avoid giving Brown and Smith those one-on-one looks on the outside. Playing zone coverage not only limits those matchups but also allows the defense to keep eyes on Hurts at all times. Let’s not forget the 2022 meeting between these two franchises, when Hurts ran all over the field and set a career high with 157 rushing yards.
Green Bay did a good job of keeping Hurts’ legs in check last year. In two games, he rushed 19 times but averaged only 3.6 yards per attempt. If the Packers can neutralize his dual-threat ability and force him to win strictly as a passer, their chances of coming out on top Monday night improve significantly. Still, they can’t afford to give Brown and Smith one-on-one looks on the perimeter. They’ll need to mix in a variety of zone coverages and ensure they keep Hurts’ legs in check, while also not allowing Brown and Smith to get one-on-one reps on the outside.
