Packers' cornerback Jaire Alexander questionable for divisional round game vs 49ers
The Green Bay Packers have officially labeled cornerback Jaire Alexander as questionable for Saturday night’s divisional-round matchup against the 49ers. Despite his status, head coach Matt LaFleur said, “Hopefully he’ll be ready to go,” when asked about the star defender on Thursday.
Alexander is nursing an ankle injury from last week that he re-aggravated during Sunday’s Wild Card round matchup against Dallas. He had seven tackles (three solo) and an interception before exiting in the third quarter.
Despite the setback, Alexander was still in a joyous mood speaking with reporters after the game. He called Cowboys star Dak Prescott one of his “top QBs” after he snagged a pick in the victory.
“It was lit, honestly. There was no better feeling,” Alexander said. “There’s a few quarterbacks who’ve thrown me multiple picks in my career and Dak [Prescott] is now one of them. So, he’s among my top QBs.”
The fact that Alexander played last week despite his injury is a good indicator of whether or not he’ll rally for this weekend. He received treatment on his ankle “around the clock” from the time he suffered the injury up to game time.
Along with Alexander, running back AJ Dillon, linebacker Isaiah McDuffie, and punter Daniel Whelan are also questionable for Saturday’s game. Dillon, dealing with a thumb/neck injury, has been sidelined since Week 17. Green Bay’s ground game didn’t miss a beat without him, as the team rushed for 143 yards against Dallas.
Packers ready for San Francisco 49ers’ explosive offense
Next up for the Packers is a daunting matchup against the 49ers, who earned a first-round playoff bye as a result of finishing the regular season as the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Like the Cowboys, the 49ers deploy a potent offense which finished second in total offense (398.4 yards per game) and third in scoring (28.9 points per game).
Regular season statistics didn’t matter much this past Sunday, as the Packers shut down Dak Prescott and co. at every turn. That being said, San Francisco presents a great challenge, as LaFleur discussed.
“We know we’re going against one of the elite teams in the National Football League. Certainly the class of the NFC,” LaFleur said, via the team’s website. “They’ve got a lot of the same players they’ve had for a few years now, and they’ve added some other freak shows over there. We know it’s a great challenge, but it’s a great opportunity, as well.”
On3’s Nick Geddes contributed to this report.