GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) – The Green Bay Packers apparently will have to make their entire postseason run without two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander.
Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Wednesday that Alexander is undergoing surgery to repair the knee injury that has kept the 2018 first-round pick from playing for most of the past two months.
“Most likely, he´s going to be done for the rest of the year,” LaFleur said.
The knee injury first sidelined Alexander for a 24-14 loss to the Detroit Lions on Nov. 3. After the Packers had a week off, Alexander returned for a game at Chicago but played just 10 defensive snaps before the injury sidelined him for the rest of that 20-19 victory.
Alexander hasn´t played since, as he´s missed six straight games. Now he probably won´t be back at all this season.
“It´s the situation,” LaFleur said. “It stinks that we´re here, but we´re here.”
Alexander´s absence creates a major hurdle for the Packers in their bid to make a Super Bowl run as a wild card. The Packers (11-4) are slotted as the NFC´s No. 7 seed, which would force them to open the postseason at Philadelphia (13-3) and stay on the road for their entire playoff run.
The Packers still could earn the No. 6 seed if they beat the Bears (4-12) at home on Sunday while the Washington Commanders lose at Dallas.
Green Bay ranks 17th in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game. Its vulnerability in that regard was apparent Sunday as the Packers allowed Sam Darnold to throw for a career-high 377 yards in a 27-25 loss at Minnesota.
The Packers remain confident they can make a deep playoff run with the defensive backs they have available.
“I have full trust in the guys in our room,” safety Xavier McKinney said. “I´ve been saying for a long time. We have a lot of talented guys, a lot of guys who are smart and can adjust on the fly. I feel good about our group. Obviously, we have guys who are being called upon each week. I feel really good about this group and what we have.”
Alexander´s injury has resulted in more playing time for 2023 seventh-round draft pick Carrington Valentine and 2021 first-round pick Eric Stokes. Valentine played every defensive snap against the Vikings and had his second interception in his past three games.
“It´s really next-man up mentality,” Valentine said. “We´re always going to go out there and compete and just put our best foot forward.”
Alexander, 27, has been one of the league´s top cover corners when available for much of his career, but he has played just 34 regular-season games over the past four seasons.
He played just four games in 2021, before a shoulder injury knocked him out for the rest of that season. Alexander missed just one game the following season, but he played just seven games in 2023 and has appeared in seven more this season.
He missed three games with a back issue, six more with a shoulder injury and served a one-game suspension last season. This season, a groin injury sidelined him for two games before his knee problem arose.
´´I know how badly he wants to be out there,” Stokes said. “The moment I found out, I was just like, `Dang.´ I sent him a text. `I know how you feel. I know what type of player you is. I know you really want to be out there for us,´ and all that stuff. He said, `Anything y´all need help with, just hit me. I´m going to be there.'”
