Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander missed Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears with a knee injury. His performance on Sunday was questionable and he clearly wasn’t 100% ready to start the competition. He left the field just before halftime and was ultimately sidelined early in the third quarter.
Here’s the latest on the injured Packers linebacker:
Jaire Alexander’s health update
Alexander first suffered a knee injury in the fourth quarter of the Packers’ Week 8 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. He then missed the Packers’ Week 9 loss to the Detroit Lions, but returned to practice after the bye and had restricted practices on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Although Alexander was lively after Sunday’s pregame practice, he only played a few snaps in the first half before leaving the field.
According to NFL Network’s Ian RapoportAlexander was not seriously injured and is simply dealing with a continuation of the same knee injury. According to Rapoport, “everything will be fine,” but this update calls into question his recovery timeline in the miniature term.
How long will Alexander be sidelined?
It’s not clear at this point. Rapoport’s update rules out a significant long-term absence, but Alexander may struggle to return in time for next Sunday’s game against the San Francisco 49ers. Considering that Alexander was first injured on October 27 and is still dealing with the effects on November 17, it’s safe and sound to say that this could be a multi-week injury for the Packers.
When will we know more?
Coach Matt LaFleur has a postgame press conference in Green Bay on Monday. There may be an update then. If not, the Packers won’t practice or release their Week 12 injury report until Wednesday.
Packers defensive back depth chart
Without Alexander on Sunday, the Packers relied on Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine and even Eric Stokes at the two perimeter corner positions. Both Nixon and Valentine had tough times in their relationships with Caleb Williams and the Bears’ talented group of receivers. The Packers clearly like Nixon on the outside with rookie Javon Bullard on the field, which allows the secondary to start Evan Williams at safety next to Xavier McKinney. If Alexander misses more time, expect Nixon in one of the cornerbacks and either Valentine or Stokes opposite him in the cornerback. Increasingly, Alexander seems unreliable when it comes to availability, which makes the cornerback a potentially fatal flaw as the postseason approaches.
