The Packers have a defense not seen in Green Bay since their last Super Bowl run

On Thursday, the Packers convincingly beat a title contender with their B-minus game. The win serves as a testament to their defense and the man who calls it, Jeff Hafley.

When the Green Bay Packers bounced the Detroit Lions this past Sunday, they did so with a tremendous effort from both their offense and defense, as well as some incredible work from punter Daniel Whelan. Considering the opponent and the stage, it represented a complete team victory.

In a matchup with another Super Bowl contender just four days later, the Packers didn't perform to that standard on all three units. The offensive line, playing without two starters, provided clean pockets less consistently and drew a touchdown-nullifying penalty. Jordan Love underthrew a would-be touchdown to Matthew Golden at the end of Green Bay's first drive, then missed the wideout again for a would-be 92-yard catch-and-run in the second quarter. Brandon McManus closed the first half with a missed field goal, a doink off the left upright.

The Packers still emerged victorious and did so with relative ease. Even with all of their miscues, the Washington Commanders never seriously threatened them. Green Bay brought its B-minus game on Thursday, and it proved to be simply overwhelming.

"I thought our defense played outstanding," head coach Matt LaFleur said after the game. "That's a really good offense, that's a really good quarterback, they got a lot of weapons. I thought our defense just kind of kept their foot on their throat a little bit for the majority of the game.

"All in all, I thought obviously we did enough to win. But I thought our defense kind of carried us."