This has proven an up and down season for star cornerback Jaire Alexander, but he’s the one laughing now as the Green Bay Packers are moving on to the NFC Divisional Round of the playoffs.
Alexander authored a crucial defensive play early in the Packers’ blowout road victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, January 14. Pinned deep in his own territory, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott attempted a pass to wide receiver Brandin Cooks, with whom Alexander was engaged in aggressive coverage.
Alexander bullied Cooks out of position and made a play on the football, intercepting Prescott’s pass at the 19-yard line. The cornerback got up and ran the ball into the end zone, though the officials ruled Alexander down at the spot of the turnover due to Cooks’ leg inadvertently making contact with him while he was on the ground.
Up by a score of 7-0, Green Bay assumed possession in the red zone late in the first quarter. By the time the second quarter rolled around, running back Aaron Jones had rushed for his second TD of the game and put the Packers up two scores.
Reporters asked Alexander about the interception during his postgame press conference and, true to form, the cornerback had a bit of fun with his vanquished opponent.
“There’s a few quarterbacks who have thrown me multiple picks in my career, and Dak is now one of them,” Alexander said. “So he’s among my top QBs.”
Prescott threw his second pick of the game late in the second quarter to safety Darnell Savage, who returned the interception 64 yards for a touchdown that put the Packers up by a score of 27-0.
Jaire Alexander Almost Didn’t Play in Packers’ Playoff Game vs. Cowboys
GettyCornerback Jaire Alexander of the Green Bay Packers.
Green Bay listed Alexander as questionable leading into Super Wild Card Weekend due to a lingering shoulder issue and an ankle injury he sustained during that Wednesday’s practice.
Head coach Matt LaFleur called the ankle injury a “freak deal” during his Thursday press conference and termed Alexander at that point as day-to-day.
Alexander ended up making the start, just his third since injuring his shoulder against the Los Angeles Rams on November 5, and playing a significant role in a 14-point win that was never really in doubt. He finished the day with 7 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 INT.
Jaire Alexander’s Future with Packers Remains Uncertain, Even After Big Playoff Performance
GettyCornerback Jaire Alexander of the Green Bay Packers.
While Alexander’s shoulder problems in early November were unquestionably real, legitimate questions surrounded his absence from the team’s next six games — despite returning to practice just 11 days after sustaining the initial injury.
ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reported on December 22 that Alexander may have been sitting out by choice, as he never went on IR, in an attempt to send a message to the team about the “direction of the defense.”
Demovsky appeared on the 105.3 The Fan in Dallas with sports talk show host Shan Shariff, who asked the ESPN reporter to fill in the blank to the sentence, “Jaire Alexander is …”
“All about Jaire Alexander,” Demovsky said. “I think when he wants to be and when he’s fully engaged [he’s great], and I’m just not sure that’s where he is right now. It’s been a weird, weird run for him. And I could say a weird dude, too, to finish that sentence. He’s a different guy. I mean, I still think he’s a good player. I just don’t know if he’s ever going to be the player he was in like 2020, 2021 when he was an All-Pro guy.”
There has been widespread speculation among national media, including a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter in late December, that Green Bay could trade Alexander at some point this offseason but, for now, he remains one of the most talented players on the team’s defense.
And Packers will need the All-Pro version of Alexander if they hope to best the San Francisco 49ers Saturday in the Bay where the franchise — a long-time thorn in Green Bay’s side — is a 10-point favorite.
Comments
Jaire Alexander Clowns Dak Prescott After Packers Rout Cowboys: Watch