After three seasons of watching Joe Barry’s defense make elite quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, and Matthew Stafford look like rookies — and quarterbacks such as Daniel Jones, Desmond Ridder, Kenny Pickett, and Jimmy Garoppolo look like Hall of Famers — the Green Bay Packers made changes. They fired Barry and hired former Boston College head coach Jeff Hafley to run the defense.

One year later, it’s fair to say bringing in Hafley was a hit.

Green Bay wrapped up the regular season with the fifth-best defense in total yardage, their highest finish since the Super Bowl XLV run in 2010. They also held opponents to just 19.9 points per game, ranking sixth in scoring defense, another mark they hadn’t matched since that same championship season. The Packers jumped from 27th to seventh in defensive DVOA in a single year. They also finished fourth in both overall EPA per play and EPA against the pass while placing 10th against the run.

Hafley’s defense finished the year as a top-10 unit across nearly every major statistical category despite playing most of the season without two-time All-Pro and Pro Bowler Jaire Alexander and getting virtually no help from the pass rush.

“I thought Jeff Hafley did an amazing job coming in here in Year 1,” Brian Gutekunst said after the season. “Those guys really grew together, and they were a unit, and I thought we were playing our best football on defense at the end of the year.

“The strides we took during the season really were really, really impressive. The jumps. And I’m excited to see what he can do [in] Year 2.”

Still, when looking back at Green Bay’s 2024 schedule and the results, one key takeaway quickly emerges, especially when taking a surface-level look at the defense.

They need to play better defense against the NFC’s best teams.

Green Bay went 0-6 last season against the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, and Philadelphia Eagles. The defense gave up at least 24 points in all but one of those matchups. Hafley’s unit managed to force three turnovers in their historic opener against the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil. Still, they struggled to stop much of anything that night, a testament to Philadelphia’s loaded roster.

Still, Green Bay ultimately fielded a strong defense last year, even though they fell short of making the leap to become a great one. However, there’s plenty of reason to believe that Year 2 under Hafley has the potential to surpass what they accomplished in his first season.

The Packers released Jaire Alexander this offseason — a move that didn’t sit well with parts of the fanbase. Still, Green Bay managed to put together a productive defense in 2024 despite Alexander missing most of the year. Now, they’ve added cornerback Nate Hobbs in free agency and will line up a secondary featuring second-year players Evan Williams and Javon Bullard, alongside All-Pro Xavier McKinney.

“I’m not going to lie: We’re going to be dangerous,” Bullard said as he cleaned out his locker after Green Bay’s 22-10 Wild Card loss to the Eagles. “We’re going to be dangerous. And I’m not just saying that. We’re going to be a special group.”

Transitioning from a 3-4 to a 4-3 front always comes with a learning curve for the defensive line, and Green Bay was no exception. The Packers ranked only 27th in pass-rush win rate last season, and while Rashan Gary led the team in pressures, he finished only 31st among all edge rushers.

To bolster the front seven, the Packers drafted edge rushers Collin Oliver and Barryn Sorrell, along with interior defensive lineman Warren Brinson. They also hired former New England Patriots assistant DeMarcus Covington to coach the defensive line. While the unit still lacks a superstar up front, Green Bay made an effort to strengthen its rotation and give Hafley a more versatile and dynamic group.

“I definitely do love the system we’re in,” said defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt. “For sure, it fits us a lot.”

“How do I feel about it? … I mean, it’s going to be wicked next year.”

The question for Green Bay’s defense in 2025 isn’t just how much better they can get. Instead, it’s whether they can make the leap from a good unit to a great one — the kind of defense that makes elite offenses struggle and second-guess every decision.

The second year in a new system is often when everything starts to click, from the trenches all the way back to the secondary.

Still, given the roster moves and the absence of superstar talent, especially up front, the Packers are placing their trust in Hafley’s ability to develop young players.

Whether he succeeds remains to be seen, but Packers fans have far more reason to believe in their defensive coordinator than to doubt him.