Jaire Alexander 'leaning' towards not playing vs Lions
The Green Bay Packers received some great news to kick off the game day festivities on Thursday but now the team is being met with some potentially bad news leading up to tonight’s game. Packers Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander is 'leaning' towards being officially out tonight against the Detroit Lions due to a back […]
The Green Bay Packers received some great news to kick off the game day festivities on Thursday but now the team is being met with some potentially bad news leading up to tonight’s game.
Packers Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander is 'leaning' towards being officially out tonight against the Detroit Lions due to a back injury, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
Alexander was listed as questionable for Thursday's game after being limited during Wednesday's practice. Cornerback Carrington Valentine was also listed as questionable for tonight's game with a biceps injury.
If the two players can't go against the Lions, the team will be left with two cornerbacks on the active roster. This opens the window for Corey Ballentine and/or Innis Gaines to be called up from the team's practice squad.
Ballentine was called up last week against the Saints and recorded four solo tackles and a pass deflection, according to Pro Football Reference. Gaines appeared in the Packers' first two games of the season, but was mainly utilized on special teams.
If Alexander doesn't suit up, he will miss his second consecutive game of the season. In his absence, cornerbacks Rasul Douglas and Keisean Nixon held down the team's secondary in Week 3. Valentine also started his first career game against New Orleans with Alexander out, but left the game and was later ruled out.
In the comeback win against the Saints, the Packers defense allowed only 175 passing yards and a 93.3 passer rating. The Packers' secondary combined for six pass deflections against quarterbacks Derek Carr and Jameis Winston. Green Bay has only allowed 199.7 passing yards per game, the tenth fewest in the league per ESPN.
The Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions will release their official inactive lists 90 minutes prior to kickoff scheduled for 8:15 p.m. ET.
You can see Pelissero's full expected injury update for both sides of tonight's game that aired on Good Morning Football using the link below.
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