The Green Bay Packers entered this offseason looking to revamp a defensive unit that had been up-and-down over the years, and brought Jonathan Gannon in to help. Six weeks into 2026, the club's new defensive coordinator seems to be succeeding, and his week-to-week mentality may reveal why.
Ahead of the Packers' upcoming game against division rival Detroit Lions, Gannon was asked about his plans for tailoring game plans each week. When it comes to how much to put on players' plates, he noted that less can be more.
Jonathan Gannon's simplified approach could explain the Packers' defensive success
Gannon joked that the Packers players understand that he'll never overload them with information. Their bodies can't function at a high level when their minds are racing a million miles a minute. It's the good ol' "KISS" principle, or "keep it simple, stupid."
"They know I never add late in the week. I always delete," Gannon told reporters during a recent press conference. ... If they're thinking too much, they don't get to play fast and free."
While Gannon's statement sounds obvious at face value, it's clearly working for the Packers. Throughout the years, their defense has struggled with consistency. There have been stretches where the unit looked great but couldn't stay in rhythm and play well on a week-to-week basis. Currently, though, the team is doing a lot of things that point to a more solid foundation than they've had before.
For one, Green Bay hasn't allowed a ton of points lately. Over the last three weeks, they haven't given up over 15 points in a game, holding opponents to just 14, seven, and 13 points, respectively. While the opponents they've faced haven't always been the best, the Packers' defense hasn't "played down" to them, playing their brand of football to success instead.
Turnover-wise, Green Bay is also forcing teams into mistakes at a high clip. Last year, the team finished the 2025 season with just seven interceptions total. Through just six games, the team currently leads the NFL with nine picks. Those numbers match the data test, too, as evidenced by their league-high coverage grade (84.4), per Pro Football Focus.
It isn't just turnovers, though. Across the board, Green Bay has seen several stats improve under Gannon. As a whole, the team ranks inside the top 10 in the NFL in multiple key defensive categories, including yards per game (10th), yards per play (third), passing yards per game and per play (6th and 2nd, respectively), points per game (10th) and quarterback hits (10th). The team is also generating pressure at a higher rate than at this point last year, and that's without star edge rusher Micah Parsons having returned to the field yet.
Of course, while the Packers' defense has been solid so far, we still have a way to go in the NFL season. Only six weeks have passed, and they'll face some stiff competition in the coming weeks that will test them in ways they haven't experienced yet.
That starts on Sunday, when Green Bay travels to Ford Field to play the Lions, a team brimming with talent at every skill position. Only time will tell if Gannon's group looks the part by the end of the season, but his mindset has clearly rubbed off on the team. The Packers' defenders are playing looser and, as a result, performing much better than we might have expected so far.
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