Getty Wide receiver Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings celebrates on the field after defeating the New England Patriots during an NFL game in November 2022.
Some NFL players have both the gift of gab and the affinity for it, but Minnesota Vikings wideout Justin Jefferson has been silencing the competition all season long.
Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander is never shy about speaking his mind and clearly has a short memory, though that may not serve him when his team hosts Jefferson and the Vikings on Sunday in a monumental matchup for both sides.
Alexander spoke with media members on Thursday, December 29, during which he alluded to the idea that Jefferson is not Superman before calling the Pro-Bowl wide receiver’s dominant performance against the Packers in Week 1 a “fluke.”
“He don’t jump in no super suit and get dressed and jump outside, you hear me? I don’t either, sometimes. But he human, is what I’m saying. We ain’t putting too much on nobody,” Alexander said, per John Miller of NBC26. “He’s a really good receiver. But at the end of the day, I’m a really good corner. We’ve got really good corners. We’ve got really good linebackers, D-line, whatever it is. You don’t want to put too much focus on that one person because it’s like, the first game, that was a fluke.”
Jefferson, who is on pace to set the NFL record for receiving yards and at least threaten the all-time reception record this season, tallied nine catches for 184 yards and two touchdowns against the Packers back in a 23-7 blowout victory.
Jefferson, Alexander Duel Just Beginning to Heat up as Part of Rivalry
GettyWide receiver Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings catches a pass against cornerback Jaire Alexander of the Green Bay Packers during a game at Lambeau Field on November 1, 2020 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Alexander went on to concede that Jefferson is among the top three wide receivers in the game in his opinion, slotting in alongside Davante Adams and Jaylen Waddle.
However, the Jefferson and Alexander head-to-head matchup has yet to be explored thoroughly because of how on-field circumstances have impacted it. The two have played against each other in the NFC North Division for the past three years but prior to this weekend, they’ve only squared off three times.
Jefferson has been great since his rookie year, in which he caught 88 passes for 1,400 yards and eight touchdowns. However, he squared off against Alexander and the Packers in his very first game as a professional, producing just two catches for 26 yards and no touchdowns. Alexander registered an interception in that game, which was a Green Bay victory.
The Vikings won the teams’ second matchup that season, though Jefferson was again mediocre with a stat line of three catches for 26 yards.
Alexander injured his shoulder in Week 4 of the following year, before either of Green Bay’s games against Minnesota. Jefferson was a beast in the first contest, putting up eight catches for 169 yards and two scores. He caught six balls for 58 yards in the second meeting that season.
Jefferson has been named a Pro-Bowler in all three of his NFL seasons, while Alexander earned his second Pro-Bowl selection in five seasons in 2022.
Vikings, Jefferson Can Slam Door on Packers’ Season Sunday
GettyWide receiver Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings works against cornerback Jaire Alexander of the Green Bay Packers during a game at Lambeau Field on November 1, 2020 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Based on their limited history and Jefferson’s moderate to below-average performances against the Packers in his rookie year, it is possible to understand how Alexander can convince himself that Jefferson’s dominant performance against him and the rest of the Packers’ cornerbacks in Week 1 was a “fluke.”
That characterization certainly falls short of definitive considering both the magnitude of Jefferson’s stat line during that contest and what he’s accomplished across the rest of the year, leading the Vikings to a 12-3 record and making a legitimate case as the first wide receiver to win the NFL MVP Award in league history.
Alexander will be forced to eat his words if Jefferson has another big game and the Vikings win at Lambeau Field on Sunday as 3.5-point underdogs, a result that would end the Packers’ hopes at an NFC playoff berth.