Packers Could Use Alexander in Shadow Role
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Minnesota Vikings have one of the top receivers in the NFL in Justin Jefferson. The Green Bay Packers have one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL – not to mention the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL – in Jaire Alexander.
The NFL is a matchups league. Yet, the Packers didn’t match Alexander on Jefferson. As a consequence, Jefferson caught nine passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns as the Vikings rolled to a thorough 23-7 victory.
“The game plan was to not allow ‘18’ to beat us,” Alexander said afterward. “We did much better in the second half than in the first half. Why I wasn’t on him, that’s not my call. Anybody who watches me play, you know that’s what I want.”
Why didn’t Alexander get who he wanted?
Defensive coordinator Joe Barry prefers a balanced approach to coverage. Last season, according to Sports Info Solutions, the Packers’ coverage rates were 55 percent zone and 30 percent man. (The other 15 percent came on quick passes in which the coverage alignment wasn’t clear.)
It’s impossible to have one defender follow one receiver in zone. Imagine the chaos of Jefferson motioning from the numbers on the right side of the field to the numbers on the left side of the field, with Alexander going all the way across the field and the other cornerbacks moving to new areas, as well.
The only way to have Alexander vs. Jefferson is to play man. That’s doable – the Packers have the horsepower at cornerback to make it work – but that hasn’t been Barry’s preference.
“I think if you watched the game, there were many times throughout the course of that game where it wasn’t just a single motion, it was a double motion. Right?” coach Matt LaFleur said on Monday. “So now, you’re talking about trailing a guy, whatever it may be, but you would have to commit to man coverage. I don’t know how else you get it done.”
Having a receiver like Jefferson, who can dominate from the outside or in the slot, is a real X-factor for an offense. The usage of Jefferson on Sunday gave Green Bay a taste of its own medicine.
“They did a great job game-planning and moving Jefferson around, and they put him in some opportune spots,” LaFleur continued. “And there were certain coverages where they’re going to have the advantage on. I think it’s very similar to how we used Davante (Adams) a year ago. When you have a premier player like that who has the versatility and the route ability to run many different routes, that’s a huge advantage for an offense.”
If Barry doesn’t want to commit to full-time man coverage, the middle ground would be playing a lot of man on key downs. On third down, for instance, Jefferson had two catches of 20-plus yards. He added a touchdown on fourth down.
“Yeah, potentially, absolutely,” LaFleur said when asked if that could be the approach against marquee receivers. “I think that’s something we’ll talk about each and every week, and every week’s a little bit different.”
Scheme and game plan is only one part of it. Ultimately, it boils down to executing whatever play is called. With a secondary of Alexander, Eric Stokes, Rasul Douglas and safeties Adrian Amos and Darnell Savage, there’s no excuse for the coverage breakdowns. Jefferson is a great player but he didn’t have to make a lot of great plays to pile up his NFL-high yardage total. Time and again, he found himself wide open through Green Bay’s zones.
“I’m not trying to make excuses. That’s not what I’m trying to do,” LaFleur said. “But that’s just the facts. And, bottom line, whoever’s on him, we’ve got to perform better.”
