Allen Park — For the first time since 2020, the Green Bay Packers swept the season series with the Detroit Lions last year.
Regardless, it was still a disappointing campaign for the NFC North rival, who had gone all in before the season, trading rock-solid defensive tackle Kenny Clark and two first-round picks for All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons.
The move looked to be paying off when the Packers moved into first place of the division in early December. However, Parsons was lost to a season-ending ACL injury a week later, leading to four straight losses to close the regular season, followed by coughing up an 18-point halftime lead in an embarrassing Wild Card round loss to the Chicago Bears.
That nosedive led into an offseason of significant changes, starting with the departure of stabilizing defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, who was hired to be the head coach of the Miami Dolphins.
Hafley was replaced by Jonathan Gannon, who was coming off a three-year stint as the head coach in Arizona. The hire included a shift from a 4-3 base scheme back to a 3-4, which the Packers ran prior to Hafley’s arrival in 2024.
In terms of the defensive personnel, there’s been a bit of a makeover, including significant contributions from a trio of rookies.