Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley successfully evaded a reporter seeking answers on the team's struggling secondary on Thursday.
Reciting a stat seemingly highlighted as a PR strategy, Hafley explained a narrow and biased viewpoint on the team's ability, or supposed lack thereof, to justify the team's performance against the Dallas Cowboys' Dak Prescott, Cincinnati Bengals' Joe Flacco, and Arizona Cardinals' Jacoby Brissett this season.
“Our secondary right now is No. 1 in the NFL in yards per pass play.”
As reported by The Athletic's Matt Schneidman, Hafley did go on to acknowledge some downsides, but dismissing these recent issues with that one stat simply won't cut it.
That stat may be true, but that doesn't mean opposing signal-callers haven't been lighting up Hafley's defense. In fact, the Packers went from allowing 168 passing yards in their first three games to 256 in the last three.
The Packers are also still allowing the NFL's 12th-highest completion percentage (67.7%). And over the last three games, that mark jumps to 70.3%. Allowing a combined 498 yards with 4 touchdowns and no interceptions to Joe Flacco and Jacoby Brissett is not exactly something to hang your hat on.
And in the other game in that last three, Green Bay made Prescott look like a modern great. That's not what the Packers risked the farm on when they acquired Micah Parsons before the season.
Jeff Hafley Has Expectations to Reach to Keep Head Coaching Buzz Alive
Hafley's 2024 season was a strong one, but the team's Parsons investment, not to mention Nate Hobbs' and others as well, dictates high expectations. Hafley's been getting buzz as a head coaching candidate for next year, but if this unit can't live up to expectations down the stretch, that could fizzle.
Of course, that scenario would be a mixed bag for Packers fans. If Hafley performs well enough to be considered for a head coaching role elsewhere, Green Bay would rather he stay. But if he stays because his coaching isn't up to par, then that's not a great scenario either.