Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander wasn’t benched. He wasn’t in trouble. He just took himself out of the game early in Sunday’s win over the Dallas Cowboys, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.
The reason? It was a physical issue: Alexander had “heavy” legs and couldn’t catch his breath.
“I was out of breath; I couldn’t breathe,” Alexander told Demovsky. “The first half of the game, it was hard for me to catch my breath in there. My legs felt so heavy, I don’t know what it was. I warmed up pretty good, but I don’t know. I had to come out though.”
Alexander briefly departed, missing two snaps in the first quarter. Otherwise, the Packers’ second-year cornerback played the game’s other 69 snaps.
Overall, Sunday was a tough afternoon for Alexander. He broke up three passes and intercepted Dak Prescott on a dropped pass to end the Cowboys’ first drive, but he also gave up 201 receiving yards and a touchdown against his coverage. Twice, Cooper beat him deep after winning with double moves.
Alexander admitted he was a little bit too hyped for the primetime matchup with Cooper, a three-time Pro Bowler and the Cowboys’ top target in the passing game.
The overzealousness hurt him early. In the first quarter, Cooper ran an out-and-up route along the sideline and beat Alexander for 46 yards. It was at that point that he took himself out of the game, in need of a breather and a chance to reset on the sideline.
The overaggressiveness was costly late, too. In the fourth quarter, Cooper faked a slant and got behind Alexander, caught a lofted pass from Prescott and then broke Alexander’s diving tackle attempt, creating a 53-yard touchdown that cut the Packers’ lead to 10 points.
Alexander’s physical issues help explain some of the issues. He appeared a step slow early and struggled to mirror Cooper’s routes at the line of scrimmage. Being overhyped for the matchup is also understandable: He’s already explained his plans for an All-Pro season in 2019. Facing Cooper provided a chance to gain more national recognition.
The Packers always want Alexander to be his confident, energetic self, but Sunday could be a learning opportunity for the second-year cornerback. Stay in control, stay in the game.
