It might appear greedy, really, to look at the Packers‘ defense thus far this season and somehow expect more. The team has allowed just 44 points, after all, fewest in the NFL, and has given up just 697 yards, which ranks third. Pro Football Focus ranks their defensive line No. 3 in the league, and the Packers have averaged 3.3 sacks per game, up from 2.6 last season.
But if there is an area that has gone strangely cold for this defense, despite everything that has gone so well, it is this: The Packers have forced only two turnovers this year, and interception by Evan Williams in Week 1 and another by Xavier McKinney in Week 2 (one he probably should have batted down).
After ranking tied for fifth-most in the NFL last year, with 1.7 takeaways per game, this year’s defense is averaging just 0.7 takeaways.
Packers ‘Putting in the Work’ on Turnovers
The feeling for the Packers, though, is that the turnovers are coming, even if they’ve not materialized yet. The Packers are doing everything they can to force turnovers–starting with pressuring the quarterback and, according to defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, hacking away at the ball–but the ball has not bounced their way much.
“That’s life, right?” Halfley said. “You’re process-driven and I know you’re all looking at me like that’s coach-speak but you put in a lot of work and you do it over and over and over again and you emphasize it and you coach it. And if it falls up short, you don’t give up on it and you don’t feel like, man we are never gonna get these.”
Jeff Hafley: ‘They’re Going to Come’
Hafley pointed out that the Packers are going after the ball more this season than last, but last year, they had forced nine turnovers through three weeks. For anyone thinking the Pack D might have let up on the hunt for takeaways, Hafley warned that’s not at all the case.
“My belief is that they’re coming,” Hafley said. “I mean, we’re swinging at the ball more than we did last year. Honestly, that’s the truth, because we’re even charting that. We’re to the point where we’re charting, how many opportunities did we have to go after the football? For every play we feel we had an opportunity, and how many we didn’t take.
“And guys are taking them, and they’re going to come. It’s like you just keep sharpening and sharpening and sharpening, and swinging at that tree, and eventually it’s going to fall down, and eventually we’re going to get the takeaways.”
Packers Looking Out for Dak Prescott
Hafley also warned that the Cowboys will be dangerous offensively, even as they take the field without star receiver CeeDee Lamb and two of their starting interior linemen. That’s because of quarterback Dak Prescott.
“Dak’s really dangerous,” Hafley said. “The first time I went up against Dak was years ago, it feels like a while ago that I was in San Francisco. He just sees things really well. He does a really good job of getting in and out of plays. He is always talking at the line, always checking at the line. He sees it quick and he gets rid of the ball deep really well. Gosh, he throws some nice deep passes and he is accurate. He can still beat you with his feet, he is strong, he is really hard to tackle.
“I’ve been really impressed with him. … I think he’s a special one.”
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