GREEN BAY – As the sacks kept piling up Sunday, word began to travel on the Packers' sideline of how close the defense was to the franchise's single-game sack record.
"Some people started mentioning it. We were getting close," defensive lineman Lukas Van Ness said. "We were trying to get after that."
And after that Green Bay got, hitting Tennessee quarterback Willis Levis 12 times and sacking him on eight occasions during Sunday's 30-14 dispatching of the Titans at Nissan Stadium.
Remarkably, seven came in the second half with defensive lineman Devonte Wyatt and defensive end Preston Smith leading the way with two sacks each in the final 30 minutes.
The Packers finished one shy of the nearly 20-year franchise record for most sacks in a game, but more importantly, the defense showcased what it's capable of when it's time to pin its ears back and get after the opposing quarterback.
It was a total group effort, too. With defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley calling a series of third-down blitzes, seven different defenders contributed to those eight sacks. That's tied for the second-most players to register a half-sack or more in a game for Green Bay since 1982, trailing only the eight players on Nov. 4, 2001, vs. Tampa Bay.
"I think you saw the value of that in the fourth quarter," said Head Coach Matt LaFleur of the Packers' depth on the D-line. "When you have edge rushers, whether it's edge rushers or interior rushers, that are fresh you can really get after an offense. That second half we were pretty dominant up front."
Not a single player on the defensive line played more than 70% of the snaps, either. The edge rush, in particular, was particularly balanced with Van Ness and Kingsley Enagbare seeing 22 snaps each while rotating behind Rashan Gary (37) and Smith (33).
Van Ness and Enagbare combined for one of the biggest plays of Sunday's win when Enagbare, rushing from a two-point stance, beat Titans right tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere inside for a strip sack of Levis.
Rallying to the ball, Van Ness corralled the fumble at the Green Bay 47-yard line for the second of the Packers' three takeaways on the afternoon. Petit-Frere was benched shortly after the play.
"We drilled it all week so when J.J. came around and had that sack, I was sitting there on the edge and saw the ball," said Van Ness, who also produced the defense's first sack in the second quarter. "Just dove for it and I was hoping I could hold onto it. It was awesome."
On the interior, three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark led a balanced day with 34 snaps, followed by Wyatt's 29, Karl Brooks' 26 and run-stuffer T.J. Slaton's 15.
Since the switch to Hafley, the Packers have talked at length about deploying defensive linemen in waves and they have the bodies to do it. Since 2021, Green Bay has invested 11 draft picks into the defensive front seven.
"I think the best teams typically are teams that, especially the best pass rushes, have a lot of people that are capable," LaFleur said. "The more you can keep those guys fresh, they all benefit from it. I mean we had eight sacks in the game. I can't remember the last time I've seen eight sacks in a game. It's been a while."
In Green Bay, it's the most sacks the Packers have registered in a game since tallying nine in a 31-14 win over the Chicago Bears on Jan. 2, 2005.
After having to be patient during the first two weeks of the season when facing mobile quarterbacks Jalen Hurts and Anthony Richardson, Green Bay is now tied for fifth in the NFL with 11 sacks through the first three games.
The Packers will look to keep it going this Sunday when they welcome the undefeated Minnesota Vikings and quarterback Sam Darnold, who was sacked four times during Sunday's 34-7 win over the Houston Texans.
Green Bay's defense hopes its strong finish in Nashville translates to a fast start in its return to Lambeau Field.
"We pretty much were feeding off each other that second half," Enagbare said. "It's probably been a minute since we had a game like that, but definitely trying to keep it going and stacking those games."
