Photo by Evan Siegle, packers.com
AJ Dillon - Packers Oct. 3, 2021
Green Bay managed to get past the Steelers 27-17 on Sunday, but their recent rash of injuries continued as star cornerback Jaire Alexander suffered a serious shoulder injury which is likely to keep him out for multiple weeks. While the Packers are still gathering information about the severity of the injury, and have scheduled another update for Wednesday, the need for this kind of additional testing indicates something more serious.
Alexander is one of the most important players on the team outside of Aaron Rodgers, and if he does miss significant time, the defense will suffer immensely. While Eric Stokes has been impressive in limited snaps, Alexander’s spot would more than likely go to Kevin King, who should be returning to the lineup soon. King has consistently graded out as one of the worst corners in the league, and without Alexander taking away half the field, and with Za’Darius Smith (back) and Preston Smith (shoulder) also banged up, the Green Bay secondary will be under immense pressure.
Alexander did surrender one big gain to Diontae Johnson on the first drive of the game, though he had good coverage, and it’s unlikely Ben would have thrown the ball at all if the Packers hadn’t jumped offsides, giving him a free play. After that touchdown, Alexander was targeted four more times, surrendering only a single yard. Fortunately for Green Bay, they built a significant lead against Pittsburgh before losing Alexander, and Roethlisberger, in what is likely his final season, is no longer capable of staging a comeback. The Steelers almost made a game of it at the end of the first half when safety Minkah Fitzpatrick blocked a Mason Crosby field goal, and corner Joe Haden returned it for a touchdown, however the Steelers were flagged for being offsides, and given another chance, Crosby easily converted, taking a seven-point lead into halftime. They never looked back.
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The Packer defense will not have it so easy next week against the Bengals, featuring second year quarterback Joe Burrow, and a talented trio of young receivers. First round pick Ja’Marr Chase has quickly become one of the NFL’s best receivers, averaging over 17 yards per reception, while still catching an impressive 68% of his targets. Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins haven’t been quite as explosive as Chase, but each has been extremely efficient, and having to cover all three, plus tight end CJ Uzomah (currently first overall in DVOA) requires a deep bench of cornerbacks.
The secret to stopping Cincinnati is to get pressure on Burrow, and teams have been successful in doing so this year. Cincinnati has neglected their line for years, and they paid the price when Burrow tore his ACL in 2020, missing most of his rookie season. Burrow is still taking a ton of hits, and he’s been sacked on 9.3% of his drop backs this year, but without the Smith brothers, it’s uncertain whether Green Bay can exploit this weakness. Rashan Gary is coming off an impressive performance where he posted a 70.5% pass rush win rate, and if the Packers are to contain the Bengals’ offense, they will need a repeat performance.
