The Green Bay Packers may be limping into the postseason as the No. 7 seed in the NFC playoff bracket, but they have a matchup against a team they are very familiar with, the Chicago Bears, coming up. These two teams have already squared off twice this season, meaning the upcoming third contest will be the tiebreaker.
While the Packers will be without several key players for this game, defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley sounded pretty confident that his squad would be advancing to the divisional round of the playoffs. Handing out bulletin board material isn’t always a great idea, but when informed of Hafley’s comments, linebacker Edgerrin Cooper stood by his coach.
Edgerrin Cooper Makes Thoughts Very Clear on Jeff Hafley’s Comments
Injuries have hampered Green Bay’s defense throughout the season, but Hafley has managed to keep the unit performing at a high level all year long. That has helped him draw interest across the league as a potential head coach candidate, but for the time being, Hafley’s main goal is to find a way to help the Packers get past the Bears.
One guy who is going to play a big role in helping his team accomplish that goal is Cooper, who took a big step forward in his second year in the league. Cooper started all 16 games he played in this season, racking up 118 tackles, 0.5 sacks, four pass deflections, and two fumbles forced. The 2024 second-round pick has made himself the anchor of the Packers’ defense, and he will be looking to have a big game against the Bears.
Hafley confidently stated that he expects to be talking to the media again next week, implying that he thinks Green Bay will take down Chicago. Making such a claim in the public eye is always a bit risky, but Cooper didn’t seem to mind, as he doubled down on Hafley’s message, saying he appreciates the confidence his coach has in him and his Packers teammates.
“You can’t beat confidence,” Cooper said when asked about Hafley’s bold claim. “That’s what we gonna carry on our chest, and that’s what we gonna go do.”
Packers Looking to Hand Bears a Crushing Playoff Loss
GettyDefensive coordinator Jeff Hafley of the Green Bay Packers.
Both of the Packers’ meetings with the Bears have been thrilling affairs this season, and the second game essentially decided the winner of the NFC North division. Chicago will have home-field advantage as the No. 2 seed in this game, but Green Bay believes it can go into enemy territory and walk away with a massive win.
The stakes could not be higher, as every game is do-or-die from here on out. If the Packers can win, they would book themselves a trip to the divisional round of the playoffs, where a matchup with the NFC’s No. 1 seed, the Seattle Seahawks, would await them. Kickoff for this wildly important contest is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on Saturday night, and you can bet Cooper, Hafley, and the rest of Green Bay’s defense will be eager to put together a strong outing in this one.
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