GREEN BAY – Jeff Hafley threw the kitchen sink at C.J. Stroud on Sunday – or at least he made it look that way.
The Packers defensive coordinator used a plethora of replacement fire-zone looks to keep Houston's star quarterback and offensive line uncomfortable, and it worked to perfection during Green Bay's 24-22 victory at Lambeau Field.
Stroud, the NFL's reigning offensive rookie of the year, was held to a career-low 86 passing yards on 10-of-21 passing, the fewest yards Green Bay has allowed through the air to a QB with 20-plus passing attempts since 2008. The Packers' four sacks also limited the Texans to just 55 net passing yards statistically.
According to NFL Next Gen stats, Stroud was under pressure on 13-of-29 dropbacks (45%) despite Green Bay only blitzing on 17% of those plays. Stroud was 2-of-8 for 13 yards while facing pressure.
While many defensive players contributed to the stingy performance, Head Coach Matt LaFleur awarded Hafley a game ball to his first-year defensive coordinator in recognition of his unit's dominant day against one of the NFL's top teams.
"I just thought he's done a hell of a job, I really do," said LaFleur on Monday. "It's not just him, it's everybody, our whole defensive staff but ultimately somebody's got to put the plan together and call it. I thought considering all the circumstances … "
The game started with plenty of adversity. Green Bay's defense was backed up to its own 11-yard line twice in the first 17 minutes, 19 seconds due to giveaways. Quay Walker, the Packers' defensive communicator, also left to be evaluated for a concussion early in the second quarter and did not return.
Eighth-year veteran Eric Wilson stepped in for Walker as the "Mike" linebacker and fulfilled the former first-round pick's blitz responsibilities, playing an integral role in the double-A-gap pressures Hafley utilized on several third-down passing situations.
The Packers routinely positioned seven or eight defenders on the line of scrimmage, only to have three or four peel back in coverage. In fact, on the first of Wilson's two sacks, Green Bay threatened eight on the line of scrimmage but only rushed four.
On his second sack, Wilson and Edgerrin Cooper slowly crept towards the A-gaps before both rushed off a six-man pressure. Later in the third quarter, Wilson deflected a pass by dropping into coverage after threatening a blitz on third-and-5.
"He came in and did a really nice job," said LaFleur of Wilson. "That is a big loss when you lose your middle linebacker, who calls the defense. Eric did a great job filling in in that role and it's even more remarkable considering he didn't even get any reps at the 'Mike' position really all week. To step in and do that, that's a big-time credit for Eric Wilson."
Perhaps no one on the defensive side of the ball had a bigger role to play in the gameplan than defensive end Rashan Gary – as a traditional pass rusher, movable third-down piece and even a decoy.
A prime example of the latter, Gary had a hand in Green Bay's first sack of the day when he stunted from the edge to an inside rush on third-and-6 in the first quarter.
Gary's presence caused Texans tight end Dalton Schultz to lose eyes on safety Xavier McKinney, who was coming on a blitz from the same side Gary vacated. Possessor of only one full sack in his first four NFL seasons, McKinney came unabated to drop Stroud for a loss of eight yards to push the Texans out of field-goal position.
"We got smart guys, we got instinctual guys, we got guys that can play in different spots and it's no lapse," said McKinney, who leads the NFL with five interceptions this season. "When you're able to move around all these pieces, you're able to get creative with the calls and do different things and it's been helpful for us."
Gary got it done as a rusher, too. While his sack came on a first-quarter play when right tackle Tytus Howard fell down in his back step, Gary caused a lot of disruption rushing up the middle throughout the game to the tune of three quarterback hits.
Moving Gary around and lining up Wilson and rookie second-round pick Edgerrin Cooper on the outside shoulder of center Juice Scruggs led to a long afternoon for the Texans' offensive line.
The Packers aimed to "keep hunting" regardless of the down and distance, according to Gary. As a whole, Green Bay finished with a season-high 11 tackles for a loss.
"Little splash here, little splash there, mixing it up," said Gary about Green Bay's pass-rush plan. "Understanding our personnel, understanding how people want to block our personnel and just keep adding to the packages."
Coincidentally, Sunday was the first game this season Green Bay's defense didn't generate a takeaway but held its ground in sudden-change situations and third downs, where the Texans finished 4-of-13.
There's still work to be done – Texans running back Joe Mixon ran for 115 yards and two touchdowns – but the Packers' defense continues to improve week by week.
Perhaps another indicator of Green Bay's balanced approach is the Packers having 11 players with at least one sack, tied for second-most in the NFL this season. That versatility is allowing Hafley to cook with every ingredient in the cupboard.
"We're getting to the halfway point in the season so we're understanding how we want to play," Gary said. "Understanding how teams want to attack us, understanding how we want to attack teams, and just the No. 1 thing man, coming out with trust and executing the gameplan."
