Green Bay Packers

What’s Going On With Jaire Alexander?

Posted on by newssite

On Sunday, the Green Bay Packers lost to the Minnesota Vikings, 27-25, to drop their record to 11-5. Losing pretty much cemented their spot as either the sixth or seventh seed in the NFC playoffs. Even though it was a one-score game, Minnesota thoroughly outplayed the Packers. The Vikings were up 27-10 at one point early in the fourth quarter. Then Green Bay put together a couple of drives and stops to get back into the game, but it was ultimately too little, too late.

Minnesota has played like the better team in the last two matchups against Green Bay. Still, what made this game particularly frustrating is how conservative Green Bay is handling Jaire Alexander.

Alexander has been out since the Week 8 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars when he tweaked his knee toward the end of the game.

He has been inactive ever since. It is getting to the point where the fans’ patience is starting to wear thin.

Alexander has been participating in practices over the past couple of weeks. The Packers kept him out of last week’s matchup against the New Orleans Saints, but he was practicing that week and this past week. Alexander would have been a full participant in practice had the team practiced on Wednesday, but they had the day off due to Christmas. He was a limited participant on Thursday and did not practice on Friday.

Many would think Alexander would have played in this game with the postseason implications, but not — he was inactive again, which makes eight games in a row.

With Alexander out, Green Bay used Eric Stokes, Keisean Nixon, and Carrington Valentine to cover Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and Jalen Nailor. The Packers were outmanned, and Minnesota exploited mismatches all over the field.

Green Bay gave up 372 yards through the air and 441 total yards. They did not force their first three-and-out until there were 4:43 seconds left in the game. Four different Vikings receivers had over 60 receiving yards, Jefferson had eight catches for 92 yards, and Nailor and Addison scored touchdowns.

Minnesota’s offense would have still been productive with Alexander in the game. But he is, without a doubt, one of the best defensive backs in the NFL. His presence on the football field and his rivalry with Jefferson could have made a difference.

The Packers haven’t been forthcoming about why they are so conservative with Alexander’s knee. They may want to save him for the playoffs, and they do not want him to risk getting re-injured before the postseason begins. One problem is that if he stays out too long, he will be rusty and not perform to his standard. And at this point his absence may have hurt Green Bay’s playoff seeding.

If he is still injured to the point where it is not wise for him to play, why is he still practicing as a full participant? He’s taking away reps from the other defensive backs who need reps when going up against a wide receiving corps like Minnesota’s.

Green Bay’s schedule of late has prepared them for the playoffs. They’ve played three road games against good teams, exactly the types of teams they will face in the postseason. They may play the Vikings or the Lions (or both) in the post-season.

If Alexander is going to take the field in the playoffs, he should get experience against these teams to know exactly what he’ll be facing when they start. Keeping him out this long will hurt his performance and the team’s success. If the injury is bad, he should not be practicing yet.

Green Bay needed this game to secure its playoff positioning. A win would have likely secured the fifth or sixth seed, allowing them to play a more winnable game.

However, with the loss to Minnesota and the Washington Commanders’ beating the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night, Green Bay needs the Dallas Cowboys to beat the Commanders next week to earn the sixth seed. If Washington wins, the Packers will fall to the seventh seed and have to travel to Philadelphia in the Wild Card round, which is unfortunate for a team with a 12-5 record.

 

 

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