The Green Bay Packers and their fanbase have anxiously been waiting for a positive injury update on All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander, and they got some much-needed good news ahead of Saturday night's game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Alexander, who appeared to re-injure his ankle in the wild card round against the Dallas Cowboys, was spotted testing out his ankle on the field earlier on Saturday. NFL Network's Bridget Condon reported via X that Alexander was expected to play after being able to work through the ankle injury.
Jaire Alexander will play today per source #Packers
— Bridget Condon (@BridgetCondon_) January 20, 2024
The Packers cornerback hadn't been able to practice for most of the week leading into the divisional round, according to the team's official injury report. Alexander had injured the ankle in a freak accident during a team walkthrough ahead of the playoffs, but was able to fight through the injury and play for the majority of the Cowboys game, even getting a key interception off of Dak Prescott.
It has been a rough year for Alexander, who had been able to play in just seven regular seasons games in 2023. He had zero interceptions for the first time in his career, racking up 27 total tackles, five pass breakups, and a forced fumble in those seven games.
To make the season even weirder for Alexander, the All-Pro cornerback was suspended for one game after an odd decision to name himself a captain for the coin toss against the Carolina Panthers. Alexander is from Charlotte, but was not named a captain prior to the game, and almost messed up the coin toss in a way that would have cost the Packers a key possession.
The Packers will need every player they can get in Saturday's game against the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The 49ers have a dominant offense with key skill players including Christian McCaffrey, Deebo Samuel, and Brandon Aiyuk, so the Packers are hoping that Alexander can make at least one play similar to his interception against the Cowboys.
