Paul Bretl | 9/16/2024
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Through two games, the Packers have generated six takeaways on defense, including five interceptions–a far cry from what we saw from this unit in 2023.
“I think it’s guys just relentless effort to the ball,” said Jaire Alexander of the Packers’ early season turnovers. “Putting a lot of pressure on the quarterback consistently and the guys on the back end with vet leadership have the ability to make big plays.”
As a collective defense last season, the Packers forced 18 turnovers. This ranked 23rd in the NFL. When it came to interceptions specifically, the Packers totaled only seven–the second-fewest in football.
When it comes to turnovers, there isn’t always a rhyme or reason behind why turnovers happen. However, factoring into the Packers’ 2023 takeaway woes were injuries, with Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes both missing time, there were coverage breakdowns, and a more passive approach, with an emphasis on keeping everything in front of the secondary, which isn’t always conducive for making aggressive plays on the ball.
It goes without saying but the winner of the turnover battle is often the winner of the game. Turnovers take away opportunities from the opposing offense and provide the defense’s own offense with additional possessions that can often come with good field position as well.
We are now only two games into the 2024 season, but already in this new Jeff Hafley defense, there is a stark difference in the Packers’ ability to create turnovers. Green Bay has generated three takeaways in each of their first two games. This is the most in football currently and with five of those takeaways being interceptions, the defense has already nearly matched its 2023 total in that regard.
“That’s something that we made an emphasis of in the offseason,” said Xavier McKinney after Sundays’ win, “was just being able to create turnovers and be able just to do something productive to be able to get that ball back for the offense. So the fact that we’ve been able to go out there, execute and get our hands on the ball with these turnovers has been great.”
Sometimes, turnovers just come in bunches and it can be difficult to predict when they’re going to happen. But a contributing factor to the Packers early takeaway success is the new Hafley system, which has implemented a vision-based approach on the back-end of the defense, giving the defenders more opportunities to make plays on the ball.
“I would say more vision based,” said Matt LaFleur during the offseason about the secondary, “more visual on the quarterback because he’s ultimately going to take you to where the ball is going to go. So, and it’s hard to do that when you’re playing with your back to the quarterback, or if you’re playing a real matchy, not to say that we won’t be that.
“There’s certainly going to be circumstances when you want to man up and play some match coverage. I would say a big part of what we’re going to do, especially from a coverage standpoint is going have vision on the quarterback.”
Another element is Hafley’s emphasis on allowing the defenders to play fast and free. To accomplish this begins with implementing a game plan that can be executed on at a high level, allowing the defenders to react and fly around the field. This inherently, will put the defenders in a better position to make plays on the ball.
Also playing a key factor in all of this is the addition of Xavier McKinney, who has two of the Packers’ interceptions. His ability to seemingly teleport around the field and fill a variety of roles frequently puts him in a position to make plays, and his teammates benefit from his presence in the secondary.
McKinney is one of those players that quarterbacks must know where he is at all times, and that can impact where the ball goes on a given play.
“He’s a vet. He’s a leader already,” said Jaire Alexander. “Come in making big plays, what more can you ask for?”
Interceptions and takeaways are always important, but on a day where the Packers were without Jordan Love at quarterback, those turnovers meant a little bit more for Green Bay. The defense played a pivotal role in keeping points off the board, limiting the Colts to just three points for much of the game, which allowed the offense under Malik Willis to stick to it’s run heavy game plan and maintain the early lead that was established.
“The challenge is that every week,” said Alexander. “I know we said in camp and in OTAs that we wanted to kind of be more of a defensive-led team. So, I mean, three turnovers in back-to-back weeks, I mean, that’s saying a lot.”
Turnovers are a volatile stat, one that can vary wildly from season-to-season and even week-to-week. Success in one game does not guarantee success the next week. But what the Packers do have going for them is that with stability in the secondary and a system where all eyes are on the quarterback, they can increase the likelihood of the ball finding them by consistently being positioned correctly.
“It’s just a testament to the guys, working every day,” said Alexander. “The coaches, I mean, it all plays a hand. Nutrition. I mean, I could go down the line, but really man it’s the guys on the field putting that work in.”