Packers’ Jeff Hafley Shares Epic, On-the-Fly Memory of Aaron Rodgers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – On Oct 15, 2018, the Green Bay Packers beat the San Francisco 49ers 33-30 at Lambeau Field. With a kickoff temperature of 37 degrees, Aaron Rodgers led a fourth-quarter comeback.

Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley was the 49ers’ defensive backs coach.

With the Packers set to face Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night, Hafley on Thursday was asked if he’d ever gone against Rodgers.

Here’s the epic answer.

“Yeah, I played against him here. It was a night game and I believe it might’ve went into overtime or they won it in the fourth quarter. We had stopped them on fourth-and-goal. We zero blitzed them up the middle – gosh, I haven’t thought about this game in a long time – we sent three up the middle, the tight end wrapped up the middle, he threw the ball, our nickel made the play diving in the corner of the end zone, and I thought we were going to win the game.

“I think there was under 2 minutes left. And then we drove and they stopped us and then we had a third-and-20 – now it’s all coming back to me. It was third-and-20, they came out in three-by-one, we were in two-man, Sherm (Richard Sherman) went inside to cover No. 3, we sacked them, so it would’ve been fourth-and-forever but Sherm called for a holding call, which Sherm never gets called for holding, but he got called for a hold so it was an automatic first down.

“Then hit two back-shoulders on the right sideline and then they kicked a field goal and won the game. So, I had not thought about that since you asked me that question. So, yeah, I guess I have some fond memories of him hitting those back-shoulders and doing what he does. So, I do have those bad memories and now it’s all clear.”

Hafley’s recall was Rodgers-esque.

With Green Bay trailing 30-23, Rodgers on fourth-and-3 from the 4 threw incomplete to Marquez Valdes-Scantling, with nickel K’Waun Williams breaking up the pass with 7:46 remaining. After three consecutive three-and-out punts, Rodgers and the Packers started at their 42. A 38-yard pass to Davante Adams set up a 16-yard touchdown pass to Adams that tied the game with 1:55 to go.

The 49ers, with C.J. Beathard at quarterback, started at their 47 after the kickoff. On third-and-3, Beathard went deep but was intercepted at the 10 by Kevin King.

Moments later, the Packers faced third-and-15 from their 19. DeForest Buckner sacked Rodgers but Sherman was called for defensive holding. On the next play, Rodgers scrambled for 21 yards and spiked the ball with 19 seconds to go. Then came the back-shoulder passes – 19 yards to Equanimeous St. Brown on third-and-2 and 19 yards to Adams on back-to-back plays – to set up Mason Crosby for a chip-shot, 27-yard field goal for the win.

Hafley wasn’t done recalling a game that’s frozen in his memory.

“Oof,” he continued. “So, all right, so then I remember I was all disappointed after the game because I was the DB coach and it was freezing, so I go to the locker room and I’m ready to shower after everybody leaves and then I go and there’s no hot water. So, now it gets even better because this is all coming back to me.

“So, then I go back to the locker without showering, and I am frozen at this point, and I got onto the plane and I froze the whole way home to San Francisco – miserable and cold. And that’s my story about playing the Packers that has not been thought about until you asked me that question.”

That’s pretty good impromptu recall from a game that happened 2,565 days ago but against the quarterback he’ll have to stop on Sunday night.

“Here’s the thing as a coach,” Hafley said, “you don’t just watch a game once. You study a game over and over and over and over and over again, so I probably watched it a hundred times. So, yeah, there’s the recall. Not a great memory but he’s [Rodgers] got a great memory, too.

“He’s a great player – obviously one of the best to ever play the game. What’s noticeable about him is it looks like he’s rejuvenated and he’s moving around extremely well, making all the throws and it looks like he’s having a lot of fun again out there. So, I’ve got a ton of respect for him, what he’s still able to do at this point in his career, and it’ll be a challenge to go up against him.

“And it’s a cool challenge. I think as a coach or a player, anytime you go against a Hall of Famer, you look forward to that challenge.”

More Green Bay Packers News