Eagles Must Be ‘Ready for Anything’ Against New Packers DC Jeff Hafley in Week 1

The Philadelphia Eagles aren’t the only team that made a notable change at defensive coordinator this offseason; the Green Bay Packers hired former Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley as the team’s new defensive coordinator.

The Packers are undergoing a significant scheme change as Hafley will incorporate an entirely new look than former defensive coordinator Joe Barry utilized. Hafley will use a 4-3 defensive front compared to Barry’s 3-4 two-gap style scheme.

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni discussed the problems facing a first-time NFL defensive coordinator in Week 1 could present for Philadelphia.

Eagles Must Be Prepared Against New Packers DC Jeff Hafley

During Sirianni’s final press conference ahead of the team’s trip to Brazil, Philadelphia’s head coach was asked about his preparation for the team’s matchup with Hafley.

“You have to try to dig as much as you possibly can,” Sirianni admitted. “You try to go back to when he was a head coach, when he was at Boston College. Got a lot of respect for the coach [Hafley] himself. He’s obviously done an unbelievable job to earn the opportunity to be the defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers, [which] is obviously a huge honor too.”

While Sirianni was quick to praise Hafley’s rise to defensive coordinator in Green Bay, he also understands the challenge that the Packers will present in Week 1.

“We’ll have to be ready for anything,” Sirianni said. “Without giving up secrets of what we’ve done, we’ve looked at a bunch of stuff as well, but also knowing everything is alive, right? There are other guys on the staff that probably have influence as well of what they talk about.”

Sirianni isn’t lying when he says the Eagles will have to be ready for anything. Hafley utilizes an aggressive 4-3 front that attacks the offense with stunts and blitzes, which has certainly plagued Philadelphia’s offense recently.

Rich Madrid of the Acme Packing Company put together a terrific series of articles on Hafley’s defensive scheme. Madrid discussed Hafley’s usage of cross-dog blitzes, flush stuns, and safety blitzes, which are all in the defensive coordinator’s repertoire.

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Green Bay’s defense has gotten off to a hot start under Hafley’s watch during the preseason as the Packers allowed just 3.4 yards per rush attempt through three preseason games, the second-best mark in the NFL.

The Packers allowed 5.3 net yards per pass attempt, the 12th-best mark during the preseason, according to TruMedia, in addition to allowing just 228 total offensive yards per game, the third-best mark in the league.

While Hafley certainly didn’t unveil his entire bag of tricks during the preseason, it’s safe to say the Packers are off to a strong start. Now the Eagles will be forced to prepare for Hafley’s relatively unknown defensive scheme.

Eagles OC Kellen Moore’s Potential Plan Against the Packers

While Sirianni is still the head coach of the Eagles, he has seemingly surrendered full control of the offense to new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. The 36-year-old signal caller will be tasked with revitalizing Jalen Hurts in 2024.

One of the issues that plagued Hurts last season was his struggles against the blitz. When Hurts was blitzed in 2023, the Eagles scored six touchdowns, and he was responsible for eight turnovers, according to TruMedia.

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The difference when Hurts faced just four rushers or less is staggering. When Hurts wasn’t blitzed in 2023, the Eagles scored 32 touchdowns, and he was responsible for just 12 turnovers.

Therefore, it’s clear that Hurts struggled against the blitz last season, primarily due to a poor offensive plan against the added pressure. This is why Moore’s arrival is so crucial for the Eagles.

As an offensive coordinator in the NFL, Moore’s quarterbacks have thrived against the blitz. Dak Prescott threw 39 passing touchdowns and just 12 interceptions against the blitz across four seasons with Moore as his playcaller.

Meanwhile, Herbert threw 10 passing touchdowns and just three interceptions in his only season with Moore as his offensive coordinator.

Thanks to Moore’s arrival, Hurts should take a significant step forward against the blitz, which will immediately be put to the test by the Packers and Hafley’s aggressive defense.

Although Hurts will be the focus on Friday night, this matchup could showcase exactly why the Eagles invested heavily in star running back Saquon Barkley. A run-heavy game plan could be exactly what Moore relies on to counter Hafley’s attacking scheme.

If the Eagles can dominate on the ground, it will open up the play-action passing attack and allow Hurts to push the ball downfield to A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and others.

Given that the Eagles hardly played any of the team’s offensive starters during the preseason, the Packers don’t exactly know what to expect on Friday night. There is going to be an interesting chess match to watch between Moore and Hafley in Brazil.