The Green Bay Packers’ decision to hire Jeff Hafley as a defensive coordinator after Joe Barry was let go in 2024 was easily one of the smartest moves the organization has made in recent years.

Green Bay wrapped up the 2024 regular season with a defense that looked nothing like the one from the previous year. They finished fifth in total defense, marking their best finish since the 2010 Super Bowl XLV squad, and allowed just 19.9 points per game, good for sixth in the league and the fewest since that same 2010 team. Moreover, they jumped from 27th to seventh in defensive DVOA, while also ranking fourth in overall EPA per play, passing EPA and 10th in rushing EPA.

The Packers' defense finished as a top-ten unit in nearly every advanced metric despite missing All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander for most of the season and relying on a pass rush that ranked in the bottom ten in win rate. Pulling off that level of performance under such circumstances highlights Hafley’s ability to get the most out of his players, and his work did not go unnoticed during last year’s wave of head coaching interviews.

The New York Jets ​interviewed Hafley for their open head coaching position, but they ultimately hired former Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn for the job. For the Packers, that was a lucky break — it meant they got to keep their defensive mastermind around for at least one more season.

The fact, however, is that Green Bay’s defense has gotten off to an outstanding start in 2025. The Packers recorded 52 total pressures in the first two games of the 2025 season, including 33 against the Washington Commanders — tied for their most in a single game since the start of 2024.

For context, Green Bay didn’t reach 52 total pressures in all of last season until Week four. Micah Parsons’ eight pressures against Washington were also the most by a Packer in a single game since Rashan Gary’s eight against the Minnesota Vikings on New Year’s Eve 2023.

Devonte Wyatt’s pass-rushing production has been noticeably higher to start the 2025 season. Through 11 weeks (seven games) in 2024, he recorded 12 pressures. In just the first two games of 2025, he’s already notched 11. Meanwhile, Lukas Van Ness had only five pressures in the first two months of 2024 — and he has that total matched through just two games in 2025.

Sure, one could argue that the jump in production from Gary, Van Ness and Wyatt is due to the “Micah Parsons effect,” but he alone can’t take credit for the boost in Green Bay’s pass rush. For example, Gary’s two sacks this season came when Parsons was on the sideline, and Van Ness’ sack against the Lions happened on a play where Parsons didn’t impact his rush lane.

These players are winning their one-on-one matchups, whether Parsons is involved in the play or not — and that speaks volumes about DeMarcus Covington’s efficiency as the Packers’ defensive line coach to start the season.

In the second level, Edgerrin Cooper continues to fly all over the field. He ranked second in stops, tackles that constitute a failure for the offense, in Week one among 362 defenders. Meanwhile, Keisean Nixon recorded five pass breakups in Green Bay’s Week two win against the Commanders. For context, Nixon had seven pass breakups over the entire 2024 season, meaning he essentially matched a full season’s production in a single game.

The Packers became the first team in the Super Bowl era to start a season with two games in which they recorded at least four sacks, held opponents to 60 rushing yards or fewer, and allowed 200 net passing yards or less, and they did it against two of the top four offenses in EPA per play from 2024. Notably, they accomplished this feat with Micah Parsons on a snap count.

Through those games, Green Bay has allowed -0.091 EPA per play, a figure that would have ranked second in the NFL last year. It’s still early in the season, but the Packers have never had a bad defense under Hafley.

He possesses all the traits of an NFL head coach — energetic, smart and an excellent communicator. If the positive results continue to pile up, it will only be a matter of time before he lands a much-deserved head coaching opportunity. There’s a real possibility he could be gone after 2025, so Packers fans should sit back, relax and enjoy what this defense can accomplish over the next four to five months.