The Packers debuted a new pair of safeties in their 34-29 loss to the Eagles in Brazil, and the duo thrived in unfamiliar territory.
Upon the departure of 2023 starting safeties Darnell Savage and Jonathan Owens, with both signing elsewhere in free agency, the Packers were left with massive holes to fill in their secondary.
The team made a splash early in free agency, signing former Giants second-round pick Xavier McKinney to a massive four-year, $67M deal. It then addressed the safety vacancy opposite of McKinney through the draft, selecting Georgia standout Javon Bullard with the latter of its two second-round picks.
The duo of McKinney and Bullard was presented with a tough task in their first game in a new system, matching up against a star-studded Eagles offense led by two-time Pro Bowl QB Jalen Hurts.
On the third play of the Eagles’ opening drive, McKinney jumped an under-thrown pass intended for DeVonta Smith and returned it 17 yards inside the Eagles 20. McKinney’s 10th career interception led to a Brayden Narveson field goal for the game’s first points.
McKinney played solid in coverage for the remainder of the game and recorded four tackles. The final tackle of McKinney’s night saved a late touchdown after a whiffed tackle by Bullard.
That missed tackle was one of very few lowlights for Bullard in his NFL debut. He made a strong impression in the run game, consistently forcing his way through blockers and wrapping up on tackles. Bullard’s 11 tackles matched LB Quay Walker for the most on the team in Friday’s contest.
The viral highlight from Bullard’s debut wasn’t a tackle or an interception, however, but rather a massive hit on WR A.J. Brown in the fourth quarter.
Despite the duo’s strong effort in their first game, the high-powered Eagles offense took advantage of several defensive miscues and were able to capitalize when it mattered most.
A.J. Brown got LIT UP by rookie Javon Bullard 😳
pic.twitter.com/Q39GFqujw1— NFL Retweet (@NFLRT) September 7, 2024
McKinney spoke about how the Packers plan on adjusting as a defense in preparation for next week.
“We’ve just go into next week with that sense of urgency, and (be) ready to fix the things that we did wrong,” he said. “We’re going to be critical of ourselves watching this film on the way back, and we’re going to be a lot better next week.”
The defense will have a long week to adjust ahead of its home opener against the Colts on Sep. 15.