It's like every Christmas came early for Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley.
Micah Parsons is the game-changing chess piece Hafley could've only dreamed about. He admitted his mind started "going 100 miles an hour" just thinking about "all the ways" he will use the All-Pro pass-rusher in his defense.
Hafley loves to create chaos with exotic disguises and pressures, and he will unleash his most diabolical creation yet when the Packers host the Detroit Lions in Sunday's opener. The irony? Hafley's former pupil may feel the brunt of it.
Lions offensive lineman Christian Mahogany is in line for only his second NFL start at left guard in place of Graham Glasgow, who will shuffle to center following Frank Ragnow's shock retirement. Mahogany played under Hafley for Boston College, and before entering the 2024 draft, he called Hafley a "leader of men" and his "favorite head coach by far."
Now, Hafley is sending a Parsons-sized storm directly toward his former protege.
Packers can use Micah Parsons to generate chaos as an inside rusher vs. Lions' shaky interior
Parsons will get his fair share of snaps against the Lions' rock-solid tackle pairing of Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell, but Hafley can create a mismatch by firing his new chess piece on blitzes down the middle. It's Detroit's most pressing offensive concern.
Ragnow, their All-Pro center, is gone. So is Pro Bowl right guard Kevin Zeitler. Mahogany, who spent most of his rookie season on the bench after departing Hafley's Boston College, will start at left guard. Rookie Tate Ratledge debuts at right guard.
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And that's where things could get miserable for Lions head coach Dan Campbell. His first-time offensive coordinator John Morton has no idea how the Packers plan to use Parsons.
Hafley's cooking up something special in his lab, and the Lions have no tape of Parsons in a Packers uniform. Ben Solak of ESPN believes it gives Green Bay a significant advantage.
"Having Micah Parsons, and having no film on what you're going to do with him yet, against a team with three new interior offensive line starters, is an extremely big deal," Solak said on The Mina Kimes Show featuring Lenny.
Mina Kimes believes Hafley can use Parsons to create confusion.
"It could mean mugging him up at the line of scrimmage and dropping him out and sowing chaos with an inexperienced front," said Kimes. "It could mean sending Edgerrin Cooper through the middle. There's just so many things you can do now with this group of pass-rushers."
It's a breath of fresh air, having watched the Packers' inconsistent pass rush produce disappointing results against the good teams last season. Hafley's crew feasted on the struggling offensive lines, highlighted by an eight-sack, 12-hit performance against the Tennessee Titans.
But in a combined five losses in regular-season action against the Lions, Minnesota Vikings, and Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay put up an underwhelming seven sacks and 19 hits. Hafley had no choice but to scheme pressure, but his hands were tied against the league's best offensive lines.
Parsons changes everything.
You better believe Hafley has a plan to attack the Lions' interior line. He's coming for you, Christian Mahogany.
The Lions will likely respond with a heavy dose of the run, something Mahogany specializes in. It's why he could've been on the Packers' radar before last year's draft. But if Green Bay can blunt the ground game and build a lead, Detroit will have to turn to the aerial attack and face the music.
Let's not pretend the Lions' passing game wasn't among the league's elite a year ago. It was. But we must also consider how concerns over their offensive line threaten to change that. Add in Parsons, who has no film in Lambeau's No. 1 jersey for coordinators to study, and the Packers can wreck the Lions' game plan early.
Hafley's goal is to create chaos, and Parsons' arrival allows him to inflict maximum damage on an unproven and inexperienced Lions interior line.
Mahogany played a vital role in Hafley's offense at Boston College. Now, he is directly in the firing line of Hafley's master plan with Parsons.