The Green Bay Packers lost 34-29 in the regular season opener to the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil. There was an electric atmosphere inside Arena Corinthians, in São Paulo, but the first impression of Jeff Hafley’s defense wasn’t exactly what Packers fans were looking for.
Green Bay did create two turnovers early in the game and another one in the fourth quarter. It wasn't consistently bad against the run either. However, the unit failed to stop the Eagles offense when turnovers did not happen, it allowed too many explosive plays, especially for running back Saquon Barkley, and there were a significant number of missed tackles.
When you force three turnovers and still allow 34 points, something hasn't gone well. And that was before Jordan Love's potential injury .
First impressions
It was a mild surprise, but the early signs are that the Packers will play a two-high heavy defense despite the defensive coordinator change. What they didn’t do much was post-snap disguises.
Xavier McKinney and Javon Bullard played deep, except for some third-down plays where one of them moved inside the box — they were interchangeable, but McKinney was usually the centerfielder when they did go to single-high coverage, with Bullard going to the slot or to the box.
Linebackers were more active and less reactive than they were with Joe Barry. They used more base defense than they would previously with Quay Walker, Isaiah McDuffie, and Eric Wilson on the field at the same time. McDuffie, though, offered mismatches for the Eagles when in coverage, and that’s how Saquon Barkley scored the first touchdown of the game.
The defense started fast, with an interception from Xavier McKinney and a fumble recovery after a botched snap from center Cam Jurgens to quarterback Jalen Hurts. But after that it wasn’t a great defensive performance, as the Eagles had three consecutive scoring drives, with two touchdowns and a late-second field goal to end the half. Eagles punter Braden Mann didn’t have to work before halftime.
After Annita’s halftime show, the Packers defense had a couple of better drives, forcing two punts in the third quarter, but it never generated enough to put the Eagles in unfavorable situations. It wasn’t a bad performance by the run defense, but Saquon Barkley was still able to create too many explosives.
Jaire Alexander had a red zone interception in the fourth quarter helping keep the team in the game. But the offense didn't take full advantage, and the Eagles were able to put a long final drive to decide the game.
What can be better
The Packers varied coverages, but the defense didn’t present post-snap disguises. It did what it showed. It’s an aggressive and disruptive scheme, but it will eventually get burned by top offenses if they know what to expect.
It’s just the first game, and Javon Bullard is a rookie, so Jeff Hafley might have decided to slow down his plans so as not to overwhelm the players. However, it will be difficult to win at the highest level in today’s NFL without more action after the snap to affect the opposing quarterback’s process.
Other than the schematic adjustments, tackling (especially by the cornerbacks) was a significant issue. It’s hard to know if it was purely bad execution or if the slippery field conditions hindered the performance, so the next few weeks will give us a better indication of what they truly are.
McKinney is special
The good of the game is how impactful Xavier McKinney can be. It’s clear why the Packers paid $17 million a year to secure him in free agency. He will be the leader of the secondary, coordinating the actions and pre-snap movement with fellow starting safety Javon Bullard. They played more two-high than anticipated as previously mentioned, and when they didn’t, it was McKinney calling who would play deep and who would go into the box.
Early in the game, McKinney had two plays that showed what he can physically do to help the defense. First, he closed to the sideline with impressive speed to deflect a pass. Right after that, he intercepted an arm punt from Jalen Hurts to put the Packers in scoring position.
Related: How football became popular in Brazil
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