The Green Bay Packers are a much-improved team at this point in the season than they were last year. In 2023, Green Bay was 2-5 through their first seven games for a variety of reasons. Jordan Love, in his first season as the Packers starting quarterback, was still searching for consistency and command of the offense. His young pass catchers, too, were still finding their footing in the NFL.
The offensive struggles in 2023 were to be expected due to the youth on that side of the ball. What was unexpected, however, were the defensive struggles. A unit stacked with first-round talented should have dominated. But they did not. Of note, two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander struggled, both on the field and off, and dealt with a plethora of injuries.
2024, though, is a much different story. Green Bay is 5-2 through seven games and Love is widely considered one of the best quarterbacks in the game. New defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley has reinvigorated the defense, forming them into one of the best units in the league.
And Alexander is playing like his old self.
Jaire Alexander Is Having a Solid Season for the Green Bay Packers
Alexander has missed two games so far this season with hip and groin injuries, but otherwise has been one of the better lockdown cornerbacks in the NFL. In Green Bay’s Week Three win over the Tennessee Titans, he had his first career pick-six. So far, he has totaled two interceptions and five passes defended.
Last year, in seven games, Alexander had no interceptions and five passes defended.
Over the past few years, one of the knocks against the two-time All-Pro has been his poor tackling. Last season, for example, he had a missed tackle percentage of 15.6%.
This year, the Packers’ top corner has not missed a single tackle.
And of course, his trash talking and ability to get under the skin of his opponents is as on-point as ever. Before Green Bay’s latest win, a 24-22 thriller against the Houston Texans, Alexander got in the face of wide receiver Stefon Diggs before the game even began.
Diggs had five catches for 23 yards against the Packers on Sunday.
Former Green Bay Packers Wide Receiver Davante Adams Has High Praise for Jaire Alexander
Apc Packers Vs Vikings 2358 010123 Wag
Current New York Jets wide receiver Davante Adams knows Alexander well from their days practicing against each other. For years, Packers fans have held the belief that the two going up against each other in practice every week contributed to both becoming as good as they are.
On Tuesday, Adams sat down for his weekly appearance on the “Up and Adams” show with Kay Adams. She asked him about Alexander and why he is so “irritating.” The former Packers wide receiver laughed and responded:
Davante Adams recalls the game that “a true menace was born” in the form of @JaireAlexander 😅🔊
“I was just watching that man antagonizing people, not caring… he’s definitely TOP 3 in the game.”@tae15adams @heykayadams @packers | #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/0iWnmPsYhO
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) October 22, 2024
“That is one way to put it. Man, I don’t know. He is literally one of my favorite people in the world because Jaire is 100% himself. His first year in the league, I still remember back to when we played the Rams at the Colisseum, this man, that’s really when the true menace was born.
“I was just watching that man out there, antagonizing people and just not caring. It was not like the swagger of a rookie. And now he’s got people copying his little seatbelt thing and it’s all over the place, so he’s kind of revolutionized it.
“He’s definitely top three in the game, so as long as you can back it up, you can do all that irritating stuff.”
The Rams game that Adams mentioned was a 29-27 loss for the Packers, but it was also the game that the young Alexander burst on the scene. He had seven tackles and an incredible five passes defended.
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