Seahawks to Face Packers Minus Shutdown CB Jaire Alexander

Going against the Seahawks' talented trio of receivers, the Packers will be without Jaire Alexander once again, leaving the secondary short-handed.

Oct 13, 2024; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander (23) prior to the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images / Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Despite returning to practice on Wednesday, the Seattle Seahawks won't see cornerback Jaire Alexander in uniform when they square off with the Green Bay Packers at Lumen Field on Sunday Night Football.

Sidelined for the past three games due to a knee injury, Alexander practiced on Wednesday and Thursday for Green Bay, but the team shut him down on Friday. According to coach Matt LaFleur, the seventh-year cornerback simply didn't look ready to play on Sunday, leading to him being ruled out two days before kickoff rather than wait-and-see as a game-time decision.

"Based on what I saw the past couple days, I didn't feel he was ready to play," LaFleur told reporters on Friday. "There are certain requirements to get out there and go play, certain speeds and whatnot. When you're not hitting them, you're not ready to play."

When healthy, Alexander has continued to play at an All-Pro level for the Packers, recording a pair of interceptions and three pass breakups in seven games this season. In his absence, the team has badly missed his playmaking ability on the outside, as Keisean Nixon and Eric Stokes have combined to allow eight touchdowns in coverage and quarterbacks have posted 100 or better passer ratings when targeting each of them.

Based on snap distributions through Week 14, Green Bay likely will slide Nixon inside to the slot to replace injured rookie Javon Bullard, where he has allowed three touchdowns and a 115.7 passer rating on 26 targets. On the outside, Stokes and Carrington Valentine will start at the two boundary spots, representing substantial downgrades from Alexander with quarterbacks posting 108.8 and 104.5 passer ratings against each of them respectively.

Considering those numbers, Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith should be eager for the opportunity to test a Packers secondary that will be without Alexander and Bullard. Though it may still be tricky to pass downfield against a defense ranking 1st in EPA versus passes traveling 20-plus air yards, those two players being sidelined will unquestionably be helpful for DK Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Tyler Lockett, especially attacking the middle of the field.

All season long, Green Bay has been hindered by opposing offenses carving them up with in-breaking routes, including Detroit's Jared Goff completing 14 of 17 passes on those routes for 152 yards and two touchdowns last Thursday night, continuing a trend that has been problematic for Jeff Hafley's defense for months.

With Smith-Njigba set to face a backup nickel corner in Nixon, he should have a chance to do substantial damage over the middle with Smith funneling targets to him in bunches, which could open things up on the outside for Metcalf and Lockett by forcing more defenders to line up closer to the line of scrimmage and potentially limit how often they can bracket them outside.

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