If the Green Bay Packers’ first defensive meeting for their Thursday night matchup with the Detroit Lions didn’t open with someone asking Jeff Hafley, “How many simulated pressures can we plan for?” followed by Hafley simply replying, “All of them,” then the meeting started the wrong way.

Green Bay’s pass rush struggled early in 2024. In the first nine games, Rashan Gary ranked 60th in pass-rush win rate for players with at least 100 snaps. Lukas Van Ness managed a pass-rush win rate of only 6.7%, while Kenny Clark didn’t record his first sack until Week 13.

However, it was no coincidence that Green Bay’s pass rush came alive when they used simulated pressures.

The issue with Green Bay’s pass rush wasn’t the talent. Gary led all edge rushers in pass-rush win rate after two months in 2023. Clark was coming off a career-high sack total, and Devonte Wyatt posted 45 pressures in 2023. The talent didn’t vanish, but they were adjusting to a new defensive scheme. When Hafley got creative with his looks, the pass rush clicked.

The Packers used a lot of simulated pressure concepts against the Houston Texans. They sacked C.J. Stroud four times, generated 18 pressures, and limited him to his fewest passing yards in a single game.

Green Bay dialed up a heavy dose of simulated pressures against the Miami Dolphins, leaving Mike McDaniel’s offense without answers. The Packers sacked Tua Tagovailoa five times and generated a season-high 22 pressures.

One of Hafley’s best traits with simulated pressures is his ability to disguise coverages on the back end.

Pressure is Jared Goff’s kryptonite, and the Packers used that to slow down Detroit’s offense in last year’s Thanksgiving game. Green Bay generated 33 pressures in that game, their second-highest mark of the season. Goff had his second-highest turnover-worthy play rate, fourth-lowest passing grade, and third-lowest offensive grade of the season. Additionally, he recorded three turnover-worthy plays in that game, his highest for a single game that season.

Most quarterbacks are less productive under pressure, and that’s no different with Goff. Under pressure last year, he had a 2.4% big-time throw rate with a 5.4% turnover-worthy play rate. In 2024, his big-time throw rate dropped to 2%, while he produced a 4.7% turnover-worthy play rate.

Over the past five weeks, Goff completed 37.5% of his passes under pressure. When his offensive line kept his pocket clean, he holds an 83.3 passing grade. However, that drops to 50.6 under pressure. Furthermore, Goff has the ninth-highest turnover-worthy play rate among 25 quarterbacks with at least 100 dropbacks under pressure and the 22nd-lowest big-time throw rate.

Green Bay’s pass rush has been steadily improving since trading Preston Smith. Gary, Van Ness, Kingsley Enagbare, and Brenton Cox Jr. have combined for 29 pressures and eight sacks across three games. Adding Quay Walker boosts that total to 36 pressures and nine sacks. Gary had an 8.6% pass-rush win rate in the first nine games. However, it has surged to 16.6% over the last eight quarters.

Goff ranks second in passing touchdowns, passing yards, and yards per attempt when holding the ball for 2.5 seconds or more. He’s also first in completion percentage among quarterbacks with at least 100 dropbacks. If Green Bay consistently gives him a clean pocket, they will get shredded, especially with Jaire Alexander’s injury status in play.

It’s great that Green Bay’s pass rush is hitting its stride as they prepare to face the NFL’s best offensive line. However, they will need to get creative to outplay them, and the best way for Jeff Hafley to do that is with simulated pressure looks. By keeping Goff and the offensive line guessing where the pressure is coming from, they can also create confusion with the disguises they show in the secondary.