The Green Bay Packers are 9-3-1 on the season and prepping for a showdown with the 11-2 Denver Broncos on Sunday afternoon. If the Broncos win, they will clinch a spot in the NFL Playoffs. If the Packers win, they can maintain control of the second seed in the NFC and first place in the NFC North. A loss, however, would drop the Packers down to the sixth seed.
As the media has made abundantly clear all week, Denver is on a 10-game winning streak and has been incredibly successful due to their defense, which has 55 sacks this season. By comparison, Green Bay has 33 sacks on the year.
Of course, Green Bay is led in that stat by Micah Parsons, who has 12.5 sacks so far this season. Rashan Gary is second on the team with 7.5 sacks, but has come under intense scrutiny from fans lately.
Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley defends Rashan Gary
When Green Bay first traded for Parsons, many believed that the double and triple teams he would attract would lead to high sack numbers for Gary. However, that has not been the case.
Due to this, and the declining number of pressures that he has had in the last few weeks, many fans have become increasingly critical of Gary, who was voted to the Pro Bowl by NFL players last season.
On Thursday, Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley sent a message to those critics:
Jeff Hafley on Rashan Gary: “Rashan is playing the run game way better than he did last year.”
He also says opponents aren’t giving many drop back opportunities for Gary to get more pressures, but Hafley likes how Gary is playing.
“Do we want him to have more pressures?…
— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) December 11, 2025
“Rashan is playing the run game way better than he did last year.
“Do we want him to have more pressures? Certainly. I’m giving you a reason, and yes I am defending him, because I think the guy is playing very well.”
Many fans were starting to wonder if Green Bay might part ways with Gary and his contract after this season. Based on what Hafley said, though, it is clear that the team/organization is still very high on him.
Additionally, it is pretty well known that Gary is one of the best leaders in the locker room, as is evident by his teammates voting him one of the Packers’ captains this year.
While something may be done to lower the 2019 first round pick’s cap hit in 2026, it does not sound like Green Bay is ready to let him go.
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