Getty Wide receiver Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings.
Justin Jefferson’s signature celebration, the Griddy, has become a phenomenon at every level of football, as even pee-wee players have been known to strike up the dance upon scoring a touchdown or making a big play of some other variety. But over the weekend, Jaire Alexander took it to a place it was never intended to go.
The Green Bay Packers routed the Minnesota Vikings by a score of 41-17 on Sunday, January 1. Early in the game, Alexander broke up a pass on the sideline intended for Jefferson. What he did next was a taunt directed at the three-time Pro-Bowl wideout. Bleacher Report tweeted video of the cornerback mocking Jefferson early in the contest.
Jaire Alexander really hit the Griddy on Justin Jefferson after locking him up 🤣
(via @CBSSports)
“Jaire Alexander really hit the Griddy on Justin Jefferson after locking him up 😂,” the caption said.
Jefferson took exception to the deliberate display of disrespect following the game, telling reporters he believed Alexander’s actions should have resulted in a penalty for taunting.
While Jefferson frequently does the Griddy after scoring touchdowns, that falls under the category of NFL-sanctioned end zone celebrations. Individual players and full team defenses often celebrate interceptions and other big plays in a similar fashion. However, neither of those examples are taunts directed specifically at one player upon whom a play is made. Jefferson’s argument is that Alexander’s actions on Sunday were. However, officials never threw a flag.
“I thought it was taunting. That was first of all,” Jefferson said during the postgame press conference. “I thought it was a taunting call. But it is what it is. He does stuff like that to try to get in my head and stuff like that. It is what it is.”
“Even from his comments leading into this game, it’s just talk. It’s just trying to give him that booster, that confidence, to go out there and guard me. It is what it is,” Jefferson continued. “We are probably going to see this team in the playoffs, so I guess we’ll see then.”
Alexander Called Jefferson’s Week 1 Game vs. Packers a ‘Fluke’
GettyCornerback Jaire Alexander and defensive back Rudy Ford of the Green Bay Packers react after a play during the first quarter of a game against the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field on January 1, 2023 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Alexander was no doubt emboldened in his actions based on the controversy he stirred up heading into the game.
The CB conceded that, in his opinion, Jefferson is among the top three wide receivers in the league. However, Alexander also said flatly that the Vikings record-breaking wideout isn’t Superman and that his dominant outing against the Packers in Week 1 was a “fluke.” Jefferson tallied nine catches for 184 yards and two touchdowns during that contest, a 23-7 blowout victory in favor of Minnesota.
In all fairness, Alexander and the Packers secondary did get the best of Jefferson on Sunday, holding him to just one catch for 15 total yards in what was, by far, the worst showing of the receiver’s likely All-Pro season.
Alexander’s single defensed pass in the game, after which he hit Jefferson with the Griddy, was the defensive back’s only meaningful counting statistic of the afternoon. However, ESPN’s Rob Demovsky pointed out what Alexander did to keep Jefferson in check that didn’t show up on the stat sheet.
“Per @NextGenStats: Jaire Alexander lined up across from Jefferson on 15 of his 23 routes (65%) in the first half,” Demovsky tweeted. “In Week 1, Alexander lined up across from Jefferson on just 12 of 33 routes (36%).”
Jefferson, Alexander May Square Off Third Time in NFC Playoffs
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)
The increased attention from Alexander may have played significant role in Jefferson’s subpar performance, or it may have been a fluke like the one Alexander accused Jefferson of producing when he torched Green Bay in Week 1.
Some of the credit for the exceptional performance from the Packers secondary also belongs to Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, who struggled mightily to the tune of 18-for-31 passing including three interceptions and an abysmal 10.3 QBR.
There is a chance that the battle between Jefferson and Alexander, clearly knotted at 1-1 during this regular season, comes around for a third time in the playoffs — a possibility to which Jefferson alluded in his postgame comments.
Green Bay must beat the Detroit Lions next Sunday at Lambeau Field to earn its way into the NFC’s No. 7 seed. The Vikings (12-4) are currently slotted in as the No. 3 seed behind the Philadelphia Eagles (13-3) and the San Francisco 49ers (12-4).
If the Vikings defeat the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field this weekend and the Niners lose to the Arizona Cardinals at home, the two would meet in the Wildcard Round of the NFC playoffs — assuming the Packers also take care of business against the Lions.