The Final Score Doesn’t Tell the Full Story For Green Bay’s Defense

Brandon McManus connected on a last-second field goal to beat the Houston Texans, 24-22, and lift the Green Bay Packers to a 5-2 record. By beating the Texans, the Packers have kept pace with the 5-1 Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North. While people have naturally focused on Green Bay’s new kicker, the biggest takeaway in this game is how well Jeff Hafley’s defense performed against an explosive offense in pressure situations.

Entering Sunday’s game, Green Bay’s defense was having a historically good start to the year.

The defense has forced 17 turnovers against opposing offenses through their first six games. Last year, they forced 18 turnovers all year. That’s the most takeaways they have had through the first six games since 2002. It is also the first time the Packers have forced multiple turnovers through their first six games since the 1996 season. That year, the defense finished top of the NFL, and the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI.

Unfortunately, the defense didn’t force any turnovers against Houston. However, they showed their toughness in critical situations.

The Texans rank sixth in the NFL in total offense per game with 375.2 yards. They also rank 14th in scoring offense per game with 23.8, a true test for Hafley’s defense.

Green Bay’s first big moment came early. Jordan Love threw an interception on the opening drive, and Houston returned the ball to the Packers’ 11-yard line.

Green Bay’s defense held strong, forcing a 3-and-out and a field goal. Big win there.

The Texans would not score another point until another Green Bay mistake set them up in prime territory.

Early in the second quarter, Corey Ballentine muffed a Houston punt, and the Texans recovered the ball at Green Bay’s 11-yard line again.

Joe Mixon punched in a touchdown run this time. The Texans led Green Bay 10-7 after the Mixon score, but none of Houston’s 10 points were the defense’s fault.

After Green Bay scored to go up 14-10 later in the second, Houston got the ball at their own 43 due to a good kick return. They moved the ball 23 yards in nine plays and settled for a long field goal.

Once again, that’s three more points that are not the defense’s fault.

Immediately after that, Love threw another pick, and Houston again had the ball – this time at their own 45. They moved the ball 55 yards in only five plays, resulting in another Mixon touchdown run. That was the only time during the game that the defense surrendered a drive. Houston failed on the two-point conversion attempt, so the Texans were up 19-14 at halftime.

Yes, 19 points is a lot to give up in one half, but 13 of those are more attributable to mistakes by the offense and special teams. Green Bay’s defense didn’t cede many yards, they pressured C.J. Stroud, and they got even better in the second half.

The defense only surrendered three points to the Texans in the second half. Take the 13 points off that Green Bay’s offense and special teams caused, and the defense really only allowed nine points against Houston’s stout offense.

The Packers only surrendered 197 yards of total offense to Houston. Given that the Texans were averaging 375.2 per game and no weather factors impacted the teams, that is an incredible performance by Green Bay’s defense.

However, Green Bay’s defense still has room for improvement. They surrendered 115 rushing yards to Joe Mixon in 25 carries, but that is correctible through practice.

The key takeaway here is that this defense is tough. They fight as hard as possible when they have to make plays. Given how weak and bland they looked last year, that’s exactly what we want to see with this squad.

The fact that they could control the line of scrimmage against a high-powered Houston offense when the unit is this young shows good things to come. They were the most significant factor in Sunday’s win.