The Green Bay Packers dropped their second-straight game on Monday night, losing 10-7 at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles. It wasn’t a pretty game for either team’s offense, as the defenses stole the show.
Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley called a terrific game on Monday, which was sadly wasted by Green Bay’s offense. If you told Packers fans that Green Bay’s defense would hold the Eagles to 10 points, 111 rushing yards, and 4.9 yards per play (Eagles’ average 5.3), most fans would say that the Pack won.
But that wasn’t the case, as the offense couldn’t get out of its own way at various crucial points in the game. As for Hafley, this performance from his defense under the primetime lights is just another reason why the second-year coordinator could become one of the top head coaching candidates this offseason.
Packers’ Risk of Losing Jeff Hafley Even Greater After Week 10 Defeat
At the start of the season, Hafley was mentioned with some of the other upcoming defensive coordinators around the league who could generate buzz when the coaching carousel starts to spin in the offseason.
Packers fans weren’t necessarily shocked to see Hafley’s name brought up, especially since Green Bay’s defense was good last year in his first season as DC, and he reportedly interviewed for the New York Jets head coaching vacancy earlier this year.
Therefore, if Hafley took the Packers’ defense to new heights in 2025, which one could say he has with the addition of Micah Parsons, that buzz would only get louder. In fact, ESPN’s Peter Schrager highlighted before Monday night’s game that Hafley could be worth keeping an eye on in the New York Giants’ head coaching search.
The Giants, who the Packers play this weekend, will be looking for a new head coach in the offseason after parting ways with Brian Daboll. The expectation is that the Giants would go after an offensive guy, given that they have a rookie QB in Jaxson Dart.
But who's to say that the Giants don’t go with a defensive-minded guy as head coach, given the pieces they already have on the defensive line and in the secondary? A guy like Hafley, who has the Packers ranked seventh in scoring defense (19.6 ppg allowed), third in opponent yards per play (4.6), and 14th in sacks (22) this season, would seemingly check off all the necessary boxes.
And not to mention, Hafley is from New Jersey, which may further entice the Giants, along with his coaching style. That said, the Giants will get to see Hafley’s coaching up close and personal on Sunday.
However, if Hafley’s defense continues to play at a top-10/top-5 level, the Packers will have no choice but to accept that he could be out the door, especially if more coaching opportunities open up in the coming weeks and months. His stock will likely be at its highest, and that might be hard for him to turn down, possibly.