After a close but critical 33-30 victory against the Carolina Panthers, the Packers hit the road to face the Minnesota Vikings on New Year’s Eve. And they’ll be playing in a hostile environment without star corner Jaire Alexander after he was suspended earlier this week — not by the NFL, but internally by the Packers organization.
Last Sunday, Alexander went out for the coin toss even though he was not listed as a captain for that game. When the Packers won the toss, Alexander nearly screwed up when he told the referee “defense” instead of “defer.”
Thankfully, the refs made sure that he wanted to defer to the second half, to which he then said, “Yeah, I guess.”
After the game, the Packers suspended Alexander for this week’s game against the Vikings. The official ruling on his suspension was for “conduct detrimental to the team.”
Teams often enforce discipline because it brings out the best in their players. But to suspend Alexander against Minnesota’s offense, which has been productive over the last two weeks, doesn’t make sense. There was no criminality here, no physical recklessness or malice involved. And the Vikings game also has significant implications for both teams. They are both 7-8 and fighting for a Wild Card spot.
Consider that Green Bay’s defense allowed Tommy DeVito and Baker Mayfield to be Offensive Players of the Week in losses to the New York Giants (24-22) in Week 14 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (34-20) in Week 15.
Last weekend, the Packers gave up 30 points to the 2-13 Panthers, failing to neutralize rookie Bryce Young and allowing him to throw for over 300 yards.
The Vikings put up over 400 yards and 24 points in a 27-24 loss against the Cincinnati Bengals (24-27) in Week 15. Quarterback Nick Mullens threw for over 400 yards and helped Minnesota score 24 points again when they lost to the Detroit Lions, 24-30, last weekend. The Vikings were without rookie Jordan Addison for the entire game and missing T.J. Hockenson for the second half.
A high-powered passing game is going up against an already struggling defense now without arguably their best defensive player.
The Vikings’ offense has been pretty ineffective running the football this season, so everybody expects them to sling it around again, and Erik Stokes will have to step up as the main defensive back.
Last week, Stokes struggled mightily while covering D.J. Chark Jr., who had six receptions for 98 yards and two touchdowns.
Stokes is Green Bay’s top corner, so he will likely defend Justin Jefferson. Therefore, Keisean Nixon and Corey Ballentine will defend Addison and K.J. Osborn. Nixon made a big interception against the Kansas City Chiefs late in the game, but he has not done much else on defense outside of that. Ballentine is a sixth-round pick out of Washburn, who the Packers may be overexposing this season.
Nixon and Ballentine gave up big plays in Green Bay’s 24-10 loss to the Vikings in Week 8. Nixon’s PFF grade is 57.5, and he ranks eighth in receptions allowed. Ballentine’s PFF grade is 55.8, and although he has only given up 26 receptions, he hasn’t forced any turnovers this season.
Look for Jaren Hall to attack Stokes early, repeatedly targeting Jefferson, who had 141 receiving yards against Detroit last week. Jefferson’s presence also opens things up for Addison, who had 111 yards in Cincinnati, and Osborn.
The Vikings have lost their last two games, and the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams have passed them in the standings. Therefore, Sunday night’s game is a must-win for them to keep their playoff hopes alive. If the Packers are going to win this game, they will have to do it in a shootout that will probably come down to the final possession.
Minnesota’s defense has overachieved under Flores, but it wasn’t what it was under Mike Zimmer, and Jordan Love has been playing his best football lately. Therefore, the Packers will be more capable of scoring against Minnesota than they were at Lambeau in Week 8.
The running game is the only edge the Packers have in this matchup. The offense can attack from multiple angles with Aaron Jones back and healthy. Even though it could happen, they won’t need Love to throw for 300-plus yards.
If the Packers can steal a possession through a lucky turnover or a special teams trick play, they will have a chance to walk out of the Twin Cities with a win. Minnesota will most likely win if Green Bay cannot win the turnover battle.
Ultimately, not having Jaire Alexander in this game hurts because he is the one bright spot in the secondary who can shut down Justin Jefferson. Without him, it’s big trouble for the big G, making this internal decision even more baffling.
