Packers defense wreaks havoc as coordinator Jeff Hafley's defensive model shows up in a big way

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - When Green Bay Packers coordinator Jeff Hafley first described to his unit the principles of his defense, he identified just a handful of items.
“Making negative-yardage plays, and that's sacks, that's TFLs (tackles for loss), that's just impacting the game in the backfield,” is how end Lukas Van Ness remembered it. “And if we can shut down the run, then it's going to trickle down to the rest of the defense.
“We’re going to get vertical and we’re getting to the backfield. We’re going to cause a lot of destruction there.”
Those things would be the result of not just the front line getting after the quarterback, but the back end creating gray areas in a mostly zone defense, forcing the quarterback to hold the ball a click longer.
They would, in theory, create the kind of defensive performance the Packers had against the Tennessee Titans in a 30-14 victory Sunday at Nissan Stadium. If backup quarterback Malik Willis hadn’t played so well in his second start, it would have been a necessity, but instead it was just a glimpse into what the Packers hope is their future.
“That was a big-time defensive performance,” coach Matt LaFleur said.
Packers defense collects sacks, turnovers against Titans
The Packers came within one sack of tying the club record of nine, last reached in a 31-14 victory over the Chicago Bears on Jan. 2, 2005. They picked off two more passes, raising their season total to seven, the same amount they had all last year.
They forced three turnovers, increasing their league-leading takeaway total to nine. They held the Titans to 33 yards on 11 carries, allowing a long gain of 8 yards.
“Everybody does their job, and you win,” said linebacker Preston Smith, who had two of the sacks. “It comes down to a lot of guys doing their job and a lot of guys winning.
“That’s why we were rewarded with a lot of sacks today because everyone executed at a high level.”
The fact Hafley didn’t blitz much fits the defensive model. The front four gets freedom to rush up the field on runs and passes and should eventually start making plays in the backfield, which is exactly what happened.
“Our pass rush was literally on one today,” cornerback Jaire Alexander said. “Like, I don't know what they had for breakfast or whatever — they need to keep eating it. They were great.”
It should be noted that the 0-2 Titans came into the game tied for 24th in offense, and Levis, who came in ranked 25th in passer rating, already had five turnovers (three interceptions). Levis had been sacked seven times, and the Titans were fretting about the right side of their offensive line after the New York Jets exposed it the week before.
The 3-0 Minnesota Vikings might have something to say about Green Bay’s defense.
But on a warm, muggy day, the Packers' defense held the Titans at bay enough to give backup quarterback Malik Willis plenty of opportunities at scoring, and Willis finished with 202 yards passing and 73 yards rushing.
The offense rolled up 378 yards, but scored only two touchdowns, and on its final five series, it punted four times and kicked a field goal. It effectively kept the Titans lurking, ready to flip the game into a one-possession affair.
In order to win, the defense needed to validate Hafley’s prophesy that the sacks and negative plays would come.
“That's why we kind of took the air out of the ball a little bit,” LaFleur said of getting conservative with the offense. “The thought, just the way we were flying around, getting after the quarterback, putting pressure on him, hitting him, that's tough on the quarterback.
“And we got guys in the back end that have great ball skills, and I think that was pretty evident.”
After a seven-play, 68-yard touchdown drive midway through the third quarter, during which Levis got into a bit of a rhythm, the Packers put the hammer down. On the Titans’ final five series, which covered the last 2:41 of the third and all of the fourth, the Packers sacked Levis five times.
If on the final series, defensive tackle Karl Brooks had arrived a half-second earlier and not allowed Levis to release the ball as he was getting hit, they would have had six and tied the club record of nine in the game.
“They had a lot of unscouted looks to start, but once they got into their bread and butter, we pretty much locked it down,” defensive tackle Kenny Clark said. “And then towards the end of the game, we got up and it gave us an opportunity to pin our ears back and go.
“It was a huge game for our defense.”
Two plays, both sacks, beat back the Titans.
On the first drive of the second half, the Titans decided to go for it on fourth-and-2 at their 37. Levis rolled out on a bootleg fake and after considering a short throw ran with it. Linebacker Quay Walker caught him from behind and linebacker Isaiah McDuffie hit him low, dropping Levis for no gain and splitting what was ruled a sack.
“I was talking to Quay last week and he’s a big-time player for our defense,” end Rashan Gary said. “We need him to be making plays like that. Having that come to (fruition) like that, it was great seeing that. I was so happy for him.”
The second big play was end Kingsley Enagbare’s sack at the end of the third quarter when the Titans had driven the ball into Packers territory.
On second-and-10 at the Green Bay 31, Enagbare threw such a hard fake outside before taking an inside path that right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere fell to his knees, allowing a gateway right to Levis. Enagbare wrapped him up high and slammed him down, causing the ball to come out.
The Packers recovered at their 47.
After Enagbare’s sack the Packers dropped Levis for losses of 11 (Smith), 5 (Devonte Wyatt), 11 (Edgerrin Cooper and Enagbare) and 6 (Smith) yards on sacks.
“We’re just feeding off each other,” Enagbare said. “Just energy-wise and morale-wise, seeing guys make plays, just gets everyone pumped up. Then they want to make their own.”
The connection between the front end and the back end showed up after Alexander made Levis pay for ignoring his coverage. Alexander played off receiver DeAndre Hopkins in one of Hafley’s typical Cover-3 zone defense calls (one safety deep) and broke as soon as the ball was thrown.
Levis wasn’t going anywhere else because he read Alexander’s off coverage. The veteran easily snatched the pass before it reached Hopkins and raced in for a 35-yard touchdown, marking his first pick-six in six-plus years in the NFL.
“I just saw the formation and the quarterback looking may way,” Alexander said. “So, I just broke.”
Stars of the game: Malik Willis' revenge game and other standout performances from the Packers' road win over the Titans
As the game went on, Levis had difficulty finding open receivers and held onto the ball a tick too long on some of the sacks. When he finally decided to air one out, he took a chance that free safety Xavier McKinney wouldn’t get to his receiver.
But McKinney has changed everything in the secondary and pulled in his third interception in three games with a terrific catch behind the receiver.
It ended just the way Hafley would have hoped.