Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander. © Sarah Kloepping/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK.
Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander explained this week that Minnesota Vikings wideout Justin Jefferson’s monster day back in Week 1 was a “fluke.”
He told reporters, “[Jefferson] don’t jump into no supersuit, get dressed and go outside, you hear me? I don’t either sometimes, but he human is what I’m saying. We ain’t putting too much on him, he’s a really good receiver by the end of the day.”
“I’m a really good corner, we’ve got really good corners, we’ve got really good linebackers you know, d-line whatever it is. You don’t want to put too much focus on that one person cause, like, the first game that was a fluke,” Alexander added.
This is the video:
The Vikings travel to Green Bay for a date with the Packers on Sunday at 3:25 pm CST. The Packers are favored by three points, and Alexander evidently feels confident Jefferson won’t repeat his Week 1 heroics. And for a competitor — fair enough.
But here’s the deal: Jefferson finding ways to explode is a self-inflicted problem created by the Packers defense. And VikingsTerritory’s Janik Eckardt aptly summarized the experience in the only meme you need this week for Packers-Vikings:
So, what does this mean, generally speaking?
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Well, simple. This Alexander-related fodder about Jefferson popping off for a big day against the Packers happens every time the teams meet. Packers players, pundits, and fans spitball how “this will be the time” Alexander locks Jefferson down. The game begins, Alexander doesn’t expressly cover Jefferson in the secondary, Jefferson throws up gaudy numbers, and Alexander claims, “well, I wasn’t guarding him.”
It nears the “definition of insanity” conversation. The Packers, in theory, have the asset to limit Jefferson’s skillset in Alexander — and then don’t use it on the field. It’s mind-numbing and mind-bending.
Usually during the Packers-Vikings, Alexander is assigned to a “side of the field,” gets tasked with Adam Thielen duty, or the Packers play zone coverage. And for the zone coverage bit, other nifty meme-tweets are the result.
Jefferson torched the Packers in Week 1 for 9 receptions, 184 yards, and 2 touchdowns en route to a 23-7 Minnesota Vikings triumph. The third-year wideout was magnificent, setting the tone for a season where Minnesota would hold a 12-3 record when the Packers and Vikings met again. That time is now, and Alexander is up to his old tricks. Let us repeat — this process involving Alexander occurs every time the Packers are about to play the Vikings.
Moreover, Alexander is one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks. So, it’s not “some guy” running his mouth without merit. He should have the gumption to contain Jefferson — at least for 70-90 receiving yards. But the Packers simply never let it play out that way.
If Alexander actually covers Jefferson, the defender should have a respectable game. He just rarely does so during Vikings-Packers. According to Pro Football Focus, Alexander is the NFL’s 11th-best CB through 16 weeks. We shall see if the Packers coaching staff finally allows the two men to square off. Green Bay typically declines.
On the whole, if it’s about 7 pm CST on Sunday night and you glance at the box score with Jefferson posting 100+ yards, just know the Packers had every available avenue to put Alexander on Jefferson. There is no law stating Alexander v. Jefferson is off-limits. So far in Jefferson’s career, it’s been the Packers elective to situate Alexander elsewhere on the field.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).