Bears Division Rival Just Made Massive Hiring Mistake

There’s no rivalry in the NFL like the one between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers.
The first year under Ben Johnson gave us some thrilling games with the Packers.
Game one came down to the wire, with the Bears losing 28-21 after a red-zone interception by Caleb Williams.
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The Bears found themselves behind the eight ball again in Week 16, down 16-6 late in the fourth quarter. Chicago rallied and forced overtime after a field goal and an onside kick that set up Williams’ game-tying touchdown to Jahdae Walker.
Williams then threw a game-winning touchdown to D.J. Moore to even the season series.
Fans were treated to one more game in the rivalry last season. This time, it was in the playoffs, and the stakes were never higher.
Chicago eliminated Green Bay with a fourth-quarter comeback after being down 21-6 late in the game. This time, the Bears didn’t need overtime and won 31-27 in regulation.
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While the Bears were able to get the last laugh in two of the last three meetings with the Packers, a recurring theme in every game was how many problems the Green Bay defense caused.
The Bears found themselves down multiple scores early in each of those three games. Luckily, Chicago was able to climb its way back in two of them, but there’s something to be said about the job defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley did against this high-powered Ben Johnson offense last season.
Fortunately for the Bears, fans won’t have to worry about Hafley at the Packers anymore. He left this offseason to be the head coach of the Miami Dolphins. The Bears do play for the AFC East this season, so they’ll see Hafley again, but there’s no denying he won’t have as many weapons at his disposal.
To replace Hafley, the Packers hired former Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon, who was fired after three consecutive losing seasons with the franchise.
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Gannon was one of the highly-touted former assistants from the Philadelphia Eagles who left to pursue a head coaching gig. After he was never able to secure a winning season, it’s clear that not everyone is cut out to be a head coach.
He was the defensive coordinator for the Eagles from 2021-22. In 2022, the Eagles were second in yards allowed, eighth in points allowed and fifth in takeaways.
Once he got to the Cardinals, the defense became a train wreck.
After how bad his defenses were at the Cardinals, it makes you wonder what the Packers saw in him to name him the successor to Hafley.
His defense’s best season in Arizona was in 2024, when they ranked 21st in yards allowed, 15th in points allowed and 20th in takeaways. Last season, his defense really hit rock bottom.
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The Cardinals were 27th in yards allowed, 29th in points allowed and 19th in takeaways.
The Packers’ defense didn’t make it easy on the Bears last season, thanks to Hafley. Still, now Green Bay has definitely downgraded by bringing in Gannon, who proved in his three years with Arizona that defense wasn’t his specialty anymore.
Plus, it looks like Micah Parsons is expected to miss at least the first half of the season as he recovers from his torn ACL. However, even with Parsons on the field, it may not matter given how bad Gannon’s defenses have been in the past.
Going from Hafley to Gannon was a very questionable decision by the Packers and is one the Bears can benefit from.
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