GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — New Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley’s offseason emphasis on forcing more turnovers is paying early dividends.
Green Bay’s defense has had five interceptions and six total takeaways through the first two weeks of the season to lead the NFL in both categories entering Monday.
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Green Bay Packers linebacker Eric Wilson (45) reacts after intercepting a pass as Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (11) looks on during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Green Bay Packers linebacker Eric Wilson (45) celebrate as intercepting a pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)
Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney (29) is tackled by Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata (68) during the first half of an NFL football game, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, at the Neo Quimica Arena in Sao Paulo. (AP Photo/Doug Benc)
Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney (29) tries to escape from Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Ashton Dulin (16) after an interception during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)
Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney (29) reacts after intercepting a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)
It’s a dramatic change from last season, when the Packers intercepted just seven passes all season to rank next-to-last in the NFL, ahead of only the Tennessee Titans’ six.
The Packers (1-1) say they’re having fun playing in Hafley’s system.
“I’ve been saying this since the offseason, we get to play with vision on the quarterback, and I love doing that, especially,” Packers safety Xavier McKinney said after a 16-10 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. “And I know we do as a defense because we’re able to play with our instincts, we’re able to call out different things, see different things and be able to just trust in what we see and go out there and make a play.”
The Packers signed McKinney from the New York Giants during the offseason to upgrade a safety position that was one of the team’s biggest weaknesses. He has responded by picking off a pass in each of Green Bay’s first two games. Last year, nobody on the Packers intercepted more than two passes all season.
McKinney had the first of Green Bay’s three interceptions Sunday when linebacker Quay Walker pressured Anthony Richardson into overthrowing a pass intended for Alec Pierce. Eric Wilson picked off a pass early in the fourth quarter and Evan Williams intercepted Richardson’s desperation pass attempt on the game’s final play.
Green Bay’s opportunistic defense and dynamic rushing attack helped the Packers win without starting quarterback Jordan Love, who injured his left medial collateral ligament in a season-opening 34-29 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Packers rushed for 261 yards — including 237 in the first half — while Malik Willis stepped in for Love and avoided making the types of mistakes that proved so costly for Richardson.
Packers coach Matt LaFleur had no update Monday on Love’s potential availability for their upcoming game at Tennessee.
“I know he's doing everything he can,” LaFleur said. “If he's ready, he'll be ready. And if he's not, then we'll proceed with Malik.”
Green Bay’s defense had two interceptions and a fumble recovery against Philadelphia, but couldn’t slow down the Eagles whenever they weren’t turning the ball over. The Packers’ defense was much more effective Sunday and managed to force turnovers at key moments.
The interceptions by McKinney and Wilson both came after Indianapolis had reached the Green Bay 40-yard line. Williams’ interception sealed the victory.
“Guys are just playing hard,” said Wilson, who also forced a fumble. “I think when we do that, when everybody plays together, it’s a beautiful thing to see.”
The Packers have an NFL-leading 424 yards rushing through the first two weeks of the season entering Monday. Josh Jacobs ranks third in the league entering Monday with 235 yards rushing. … Green Bay’s plus-4 turnover margin ranks second in the league entering Monday, behind only Pittsburgh’s plus-5. … Packers opponents are converting just 26% of their third down conversion attempts (6 of 23).
Jacobs’ fumble into the end zone continued Green Bay’s red zone struggles. The Packers have scored touchdowns in only two of their seven trips inside an opponent’s 20-yard line. Brayden Narveson already has eight field-goal attempts.
P Daniel Whelan had all three of his attempts Sunday downed inside the 20. His net punting average was 46.3 yards. … The entire starting line of LT Rasheed Walker, LG Elgton Jenkins, C Josh Myers, RG Sean Rhyan and RT Zach Tom deserves credit for helping Green Bay gain 261 yards rushing, including 237 in the first half. Green Bay had its highest single-game rushing total since gaining 262 yards on the ground in a 31-3 victory over the Denver Broncos on Dec. 28, 2003. … Willis delivered the best performance of his career so far by going 12 of 14 through the air with his first career touchdown pass and no turnovers.
Narveson has missed a field-goal attempt in each of his first two games. … After getting a sack in Green Bay’s season opener, DL Rashan Gary had no sacks or tackles Sunday.
RG Jordan Morgan left with a shoulder injury. RB MarShawn Lloyd said Monday he sprained his ankle.
800: The Packers’ win Sunday made them the first NFL team to earn 800 regular-season victories.
The Packers face Willis’ former team Sunday when they visit the Tennessee Titans. Green Bay acquired Willis from Tennessee for a 2025 seventh-round pick after he was unable to beat out Mason Rudolph for the Titans’ backup quarterback job.
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Green Bay Packers linebacker Eric Wilson (45) reacts after intercepting a pass as Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (11) looks on during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Green Bay Packers linebacker Eric Wilson (45) celebrate as intercepting a pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)
Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney (29) is tackled by Philadelphia Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata (68) during the first half of an NFL football game, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, at the Neo Quimica Arena in Sao Paulo. (AP Photo/Doug Benc)
Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney (29) tries to escape from Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Ashton Dulin (16) after an interception during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke)
Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney (29) reacts after intercepting a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Facing a government shutdown deadline, the Senate rushed through final passage early Saturday of a bipartisan plan that would temporarily fund federal operations and disaster aid, dropping President-elect Donald Trump's demands for a debt limit increase into the new year.
House Speaker Mike Johnson had insisted Congress would “meet our obligations” and not allow federal operations to shutter ahead of the Christmas holiday season. But the day's outcome was uncertain after Trump doubled down on his insistence that a debt ceiling increase be included in any deal — if not, he said in an early morning post, let the closures “start now.”
The House approved Johnson's new bill overwhelmingly, 366-34. The Senate worked into the night to pass it, 85-11, just after the deadline. At midnight, the White House said it had ceased shutdown preparations.
“This is a good outcome for the country, ” Johnson said after the House vote, adding he had spoken with Trump and the president-elect “was certainly happy about this outcome, as well.”
President Joe Biden, who has played a less public role in the process throughout a turbulent week, was expected to sign the measure into law Saturday.
“There will be no government shutdown," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said.
The final product was the third attempt from Johnson, the beleaguered House speaker, to achieve one of the basic requirements of the federal government — keeping it open. And it raised stark questions about whether Johnson will be able to keep his job, in the face of angry GOP colleagues, and work alongside Trump and billionaire ally Elon Musk, who called the legislative plays from afar.
Trump's last-minute demand was almost an impossible ask, and Johnson had almost no choice but to work around his pressure for a debt ceiling increase. The speaker knew there wouldn’t be enough support within the GOP majority to pass any funding package, since many Republican deficit hawks prefer to slash the federal government and certainly wouldn’t allow more debt.
Instead, the Republicans, who will have full control of the White House, House and Senate next year, with big plans for tax cuts and other priorities, are showing they must routinely rely on Democrats for the votes needed to keep up with the routine operations of governing.
“So is this a Republican bill or a Democrat bill?” scoffed Musk on social media ahead of the vote.
The drastically slimmed-down 118-page package would fund the government at current levels through March 14 and add $100 billion in disaster aid and $10 billion in agricultural assistance to farmers.
Gone is Trump’s demand to lift the debt ceiling, which GOP leaders told lawmakers would be debated as part of their tax and border packages in the new year. Republicans made a so-called handshake agreement to raise the debt limit at that time while also cutting $2.5 trillion in spending over 10 years.
It’s essentially the same deal that flopped the night before in a spectacular setback — opposed by most Democrats and some of the most conservative Republicans — minus Trump’s debt ceiling demand.
But it's far smaller than the original bipartisan accord Johnson struck with Democratic and Republican leaders — a 1,500-page bill that Trump and Musk rejected, forcing him to start over. It was stuffed with a long list of other bills — including much-derided pay raises for lawmakers — but also other measures with broad bipartisan support that now have a tougher path to becoming law.
House Democrats were cool to the latest effort after Johnson reneged on the hard-fought bipartisan compromise.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, said it looked like Musk, the wealthiest man in the world, was calling the shots for Trump and Republicans.
“Who is in charge?” she asked during the debate.
Still, the House Democrats put up more votes than Republicans for the bill's passage. Almost three dozen conservative House Republicans voted against it.
“The House Democrats have successfully stopped extreme MAGA Republicans from shutting down the government, crashing the economy and hurting working-class Americans all across the nation,” House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said, referring to Trump's “Make America Great Again” slogan.
In the Senate, almost all the opposition came from the Republicans — except independent Sen. Bernie Sanders, who said Musk's interference was “not democracy, that's oligarchy.”
Trump, who has not yet been sworn into office, is showing the power but also the limits of his sway with Congress, as he intervenes and orchestrates affairs from Mar-a-Lago alongside Musk, who is heading up the new Department of Government Efficiency.
The incoming Trump administration vows to slash the federal budget and fire thousands of employees and is counting on Republicans for a big tax package. And Trump's not fearful of shutdowns the way lawmakers are, having sparked the longest government shutdown in history in his first term at the White House.
“If there is going to be a shutdown of government, let it begin now,” Trump posted early in the morning on social media.
More important for the president-elect was his demand for pushing the thorny debt ceiling debate off the table before he returns to the White House. The federal debt limit expires Jan. 1, and Trump doesn't want the first months of his new administration saddled with tough negotiations in Congress to lift the nation's borrowing capacity. Now Johnson will be on the hook to deliver.
“Congress must get rid of, or extend out to, perhaps, 2029, the ridiculous Debt Ceiling,” Trump posted — increasing his demand for a new five-year debt limit increase. "Without this, we should never make a deal."
Government workers had already been told to prepare for a federal shutdown that would send millions of employees — and members of the military — into the holiday season without paychecks.
Biden has been in discussions with Jeffries and Schumer, but White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said: “Republicans blew up this deal. They did, and they need to fix this.”
As the day dragged on, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell stepped in to remind colleagues “how harmful it is to shut the government down, and how foolish it is to bet your own side won’t take the blame for it.”
At one point, Johnson asked House Republicans at a lunchtime meeting for a show of hands as they tried to choose the path forward.
It wasn’t just the shutdown, but the speaker’s job on the line. The speaker’s election is the first vote of the new Congress, which convenes Jan. 3, and some Trump allies have floated Musk for speaker.
Johnson said he spoke to Musk ahead of the vote Friday and they talked about the “extraordinary challenges of this job.”
Associated Press writers Kevin Freking, Stephen Groves, Mary Clare Jalonick, Darlene Superville and Bill Barrow contributed to this report.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., celebrates as the Senate begins voting on the government funding bill just in time to meet the midnight deadline, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., celebrates as the Senate begins voting on the government funding bill just in time to meet the midnight deadline, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks to reporters after passing the funding bill to avert the government shutdown at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks to reporters after passing the funding bill to avert the government shutdown at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
The Capitol is pictured in Washington, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., emerges from a closed-door meeting with fellow Republicans at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., emerges from a closed-door meeting with fellow Republicans at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., talks with reporters after attending a meeting with Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., as the House works on a spending bill to avert a shutdown of the Federal Government, Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
FILE - President-elect Donald Trump poses for a photo with Dana White, Kid Rock and Elon Musk at UFC 309 at Madison Square Garden, Nov. 16, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., talks briefly to reporters just before a vote on an interim spending bill to prevent a government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024. The vote failed to pass. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
President-elect Donald Trump speaks during a news conference at Mar-a-Lago, Monday, Dec. 16, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
