Those expecting immediate results from defensive coordinator Matt LaFleur’s replacement were likely disappointed in Week 1, after Jeff Hafley’s Green Bay Packers defense held the Philadelphia Eagles to 34 points and over 400 yards in a season-opening loss.
Hafley, in his first game as an NFL defensive coordinator, couldn’t find enough answers about the Eagles’ star power.
Saquon Barkley ran for 109 yards and scored three touchdowns. AJ Brown caught a pass for 67 yards and gained over 100 yards. Brown and Devonta Smith combined for 12 receptions and over 200 yards.
LaFleur later expressed his displeasure with both the disruptions caused by the pass rush and the integrity of the gaps in the run defense. The Packers sacked Jalen Hurts just twice, and Barkley pulled off several chunk gains on the ground.
Three turnovers didn’t even save the game. The Packers scored a pair of interceptions — one on Xavier McKinney’s third-and-long series of the opening drive and another lucky one after a failed touchdown — in the first quarter, and the defense even took points off the board on Jaire Alexander’s interception in the end zone in the second half.
Still, it didn’t matter. The Eagles entered the red zone six times, had 25 first downs, rushed for 144 yards and finished with 410 total yards while controlling the ball for nearly 33 minutes.
After settling down from their first two turnovers, the Eagles scored on their next four possessions. They would have scored on their next three to end the game if Hurts hadn’t made the stupid decision to throw across the body into the red zone at midfield.
In typical Week 1 fashion, both defenses struggled to execute effectively on drives and penalties. Against top-tier quarterbacks, the Packers didn’t handle the rush well enough. And two questionable penalties — one on Alexander, the other on Kenny Clark — extended the Eagles’ final drive.
The Packers offense gifted the Eagles with a 24-yard scoring drive on Jordan Love’s interception. And it wasn’t necessarily straightforward for the Eagles, who averaged 3.8 yards per rush and 5.5 yards per play. Hurts’ passer rating was 80.3. Against a talented offense, the Packers will take those numbers.
However, losing 31 points between the second and third quarters broke the defense.
Last season under Joe Barry, the most points the Packers allowed was 34. Hafley’s defense got what it needed in Week 1.
The highly regarded defensive line was not disruptive against the top offensive line, and Brown and Smith mostly had their way with the Packers’ secondary, especially in a few key moments. Add another productive performance from Barkley against Green Bay, and the Packers’ recent defense — despite the interceptions — largely failed to deliver in the season opener.
