Derrick Henry exposed a major problem for the Packers’ defense. This isn’t the same Green Bay defense that was among the league’s most feared, anchored by All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons and elite run-stuffer Devonte Wyatt. The lack of these key players was clearly evident in a Week 17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Henry ran roughshod over the Packers, accumulating 216 yards and four touchdowns. This performance is obviously not ideal for a Green Bay defense trying to find its identity without two of its most disruptive players.

Jeff Hafley, the Packers’ defensive coordinator, has broken his silence on how Derrick Henry was able to dominate the Packers’ defense. He acknowledged that the team must learn from this experience to avoid similar issues in the playoffs.

The Packers’ playoff path is going to be filled with elite running backs. Whether it’s the Chicago Bears’ duo of Kyle Monangai and D’Andre Swift, or Christian McCaffrey in the first round of the playoffs, there are potential showdowns against the likes of Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles, or the Los Angeles Rams’ ground game if Green Bay advances beyond the first round. The NFC is essentially a running back gauntlet.

Hafley seems to understand that whatever went wrong against Henry can’t happen again, or else it could lead to an early postseason exit for Green Bay.

“We’ve been playing against the run pretty well all year,” Hafley told reporters this week. “With whomever we had in, so we’re not going to use who was in the game, who’s hurt, who’s out of the game, who’s not there – we’re not going to use that as an excuse because the week before against a really good running team, we played really well. So we need to get back to that.”

“Like I said, that starts with me. Gotta coach it better. We have to play it better. We’re better than that, so we’ll learn from it. I think a lot of the times you look back and need to use moments like that and you need to use them in a positive way. So what do I mean by that? We can’t let that opportunity that we have looking back on that poor performance go to waste.”

The Packers are currently the NFL’s No. 15-ranked rushing defense, with Henry’s assault doing Green Bay no favors in the rankings. However, over the next two weeks in practice, and in meetings, the onus is on Hafley to ensure that kind of performance doesn’t happen again in the postseason.

“We need to do something about it, and that’s our mindset. There’s a lot of guys with a lot of pride in that room who are taking shots for not being able to play the run when they know very clearly they’ve played the run well all year, right? And that game’s not going to define how we play the run.”

• The Packers’ defense has struggled in recent games, particularly against powerful running backs.
• Derrick Henry’s performance highlighted weaknesses in the Packers’ ability to stop the run.
• Jeff Hafley is focused on correcting these issues ahead of the playoffs.
• The upcoming schedule includes several high-powered running games, making it critical for the Packers to improve their run defense.
• The team’s confidence and pride are at stake, and they are determined to bounce back.

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