While Jordan Love and the development of the young offense was the major story surrounding the Green Bay Packers coming into the season, one underrated addition to the team was new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley.
With Hafley manning the defense, fans and sportswriters alike instantly saw a shift in the overall philosophy and scheme, as Green Bay sent a lot more pressure than anyone was accustomed to seeing.
The first stat that really pops out when reviewing Green Bay’s defensive season is that it blitzed at the third-highest percentage in the NFL this year. That, in turn, ranked the team as eighth in sacks across the league with 45. On top of that, it was not just one player who was racking up all of the sacks; it was a team effort.
Rashan Gary led the team in sacks with 57.5, but 13 players came away with at least one sack.
That constant pressure and threat of sacks also played a major role in Green Bay’s ability to force turnovers this past season. The Packers finished 2024 with 31 turnovers, which ranked third in the NFL. With 14 fumble recoveries and 17 interceptions, the philosophy of sending pressure early and often more than paid off.
One major benefactor and, in turn, catalyst of the defense was the addition of defensive back Xavier McKinney. McKinney anchored a strong pass defense, leading the team in interceptions with eight and finishing second in the NFL, only behind Detroit’s Kerby Joseph.
“I thought there was an incredible amount of growth, to be honest with you, in terms of maybe a vision of what we wanted to do and where we went to,” said LaFleur, on Hafley’s first season coaching the defense. “You make the necessary adjustments and you put your guys in position, and then ultimately, those guys have to go out there and execute.”
On top of McKinney, Green Bay saw a breakout season from rookie Edgerrin Cooper when Quay Walker went down with an injury late in the season. Over the final three games of the season, Cooper totaled 17 tackles. More than just his performance when Walker went down, Cooper proved that he can lead the defense in play calling.
There is still room for improvement though, as Gary and Lukas Van Ness did not exactly take the next step in becoming the great pass rushing duo in the NFL. Along with that, Kenny Clark also was not as effective as he was probably needed to be, especially against the run-heavy teams that Green Bay lost to — including the Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions.
In what seemed to be a developmental year for the defense coming into the season, it is fair to say that it more than impressed, even with injuries to star players like Jaire Alexander. On the season, Green Bay ranked sixth in the NFL in points given up this season, allowing 20 points per game to opposing teams.
While again, it was the offense that was supposed to make the jump this season, it turned into the defense really becoming the strong part of the season. Given the likely additions to the pass rushing and defensive backs units, there should be high expectations for the defense going into next season. Based off this past season, that should be very exciting for Packers fans.
“I thought Hafley did an outstanding job,” LaFleur said. “And it is not just Hafley; it is our entire defensive staff.”
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