Green Bay Packers: NFC Rival All-Pro Calls Jaire Alexander Suspension for Week 17 “Over the Top”.

The Green Bay Packers have a do-or-die matchup with the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night that will determine their ability to make the 2023 NFL Playoffs. Both NFC North rivals are 7-8 and currently outside of the top seven playoff seeds in the conference. The winner will keep their postseason hopes alive while the loser will be all but eliminated.

If the Packers win, and if they then defeat the Chicago Bears in Week 18 to finish the season 9-8, they have a 95% chance to make the playoffs. Making it back to the postseason in the first year of the Jordan Love Era would certainly be an impressive accomplishment, especially considering everything the team has gone through this season.

Unlike the 2022 Packers that were led by Aaron Rodgers, the young offense has shown resiliency and has grown together despite being plagued by numerous serious injuries. Indeed, the Packers’ success this season is a direct result of the vision that Brian Gutekunst and Matt LaFleur had for the offense coming to fruition.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about their vision on defense. Joe Barry, the embattled and unpopular defensive coordinator, has justifiably come under fire this season for his non-sensical schemes and play-calling. The Packers’ latest a game, a too-close-for-comfort win against the Carolina Panthers, once again highlighted the defense’s futility to stop even the worst NFL offense.

Green Bay Packers Cornerback Jaire Alexander Was Suspended After the Carolina Panthers Game

Of course, the biggest story that came out of the Carolina game was that two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander made himself a team captain for the game, went out for the coin toss (with the support of his teammates), but almost blew the call. Apparently, this was the final straw of an ongoing series of issues coaches have been having with Alexander, and the decision was made to suspend him for Week 17.

The decision to suspend Alexander for the game against the Vikings could end up being a costly one. Justin Jefferson, one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, is back from injury and could be a big problem for the rest of Green Bay’s young corners. Still, the organization felt they needed to send a message to the players by suspending Alexander, who has had great success against Jefferson in the past.