The Green Bay Packers will face the San Francisco 49ers in the Divisional Round on Saturday, which promises to be a difficult test. Regretfully, given the most recent information regarding Jaire Alexander’s injury, it may be an even more difficult battle.
The health of cornerback Jaire Alexander is a concern for Green Bay Packers fans ahead of their team’s pivotal NFC Divisional playoff matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. The standout defender has been dealing with an ankle injury for the past few weeks; on Wednesday, he was unable to practice due to the injury.
The most recent information regarding the 26-year-old CB, unfortunately, may not be what Packers supporters are hoping to hear.
Packers News: Jaire Alexander Injury Update is Concerning
Alexander missed Thursday’s practice, according to Packers beat writer Tom Silverstein. Considering that he has missed practice for the past two days in a row, this most recent update is very concerning.
Before the Packers play the 49ers on Friday, there is still one more practice, so it will be possible to determine whether Alexander can recover quickly enough to play.
To put it mildly, the former Louisville Cardinal’s injury situation has been quite unpredictable. Alexander faced the Cowboys on Wild Card Weekend, despite missing two straight practices that led to a dubious tag the previous week. Sadly, he was limited to just 52 defensive plays before suffering another setback that required him to leave the game in the third quarter without making a return.
But even though he only participated in 55% of the defensive plays, Alexander was still very much in the game, recording seven total tackles, breaking up a pass, and winning an interception that resulted in a Packers touchdown in less than two minutes.
The 49ers are known for having one of the most deadly and dangerous offenses in the NFL, so the Packers would much rather have Alexander in the starting lineup. The two-time All-Pro defender has only played eight games between the 2023 regular season and the playoffs due to injuries, but even so, Green Bay is 5-3 when he plays while they are 5-5 when he isn’t.
Alexander has grades of 73.1 for overall defense and 75.7 for coverage, placing him as the No. 28-ranked cornerback out of 128 eligible players this season according to Pro Football Focus.
But whether Alexander plays or not, Green Bay will have a very difficult task at Levi’s Stadium. According to DraftKings Sportsbook as of Thursday, the 49ers are 9.5-point favorites over the Packers, making Matt LaFleur’s squad the largest underdog of the weekend.
