The Green Bay Packers defeated the Chicago Bears in improbable fashion on Sunday afternoon. Clinging to a 20-19 lead, Green Bay’s defense allowed Chicago’s offense into field goal range as the game clock wound down. Cairo Santos lined up for what would have been the game-winning 46-yard field goal as time expired. But Karl Brooks was able to time a leap over the Bears’ line perfectly and blocked the kick, cementing the Packers’ 11th-consecutive victory over their oldest rivals.
Green Bay’s defense, in particular, struggled to get off the field for much of the afternoon. They allowed the Bears, owners of the worst third-down success rate in the NFL, to convert more than 50% of their third downs. The Packers also struggled to create any pressure on rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, despite Chicago having to start several backup offensive linemen.
Additionally, the Packers lost two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander early in the game.
Green Bay Packers Cornerback Jaire Alexander Was Knocked Out of the Game with a Knee Injury
Unfortunately for the Packers and Alexander, the star cornerback has been battling injuries all season long for the second consecutive year. He missed two games after getting hurt in Week Three against the Tennessee Titans (the game in which he had his first career pick-six) and was inactive in Green Bay’s loss to the Detroit Lions before the Bye Week.
The injury that kept him out of the Lions game was a scary knee ailment that was the result of a brutal looking play on the defense’s final play of the Packers’ win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. When it first happened, many feared that he had torn his ACL. Fortunately, that was not the case.
After missing the Detroit game and getting the Bye Week, many believed that Alexander would be back and healthy for the contest against Chicago. And it looked like he was, at least at first.
Alexander was removed from the game often in the first half, many presuming he was on a snap count. However, he did not take the field in the second half, and it was announced he was out for the rest of the game with a knee injury.
NFL Insider Ian Rapoport Provides an Injury Update on Green Bay Packers Cornerback Jaire Alexander
After the game was over, NFL insider Ian Rapoport made the following post on X (formerly Twitter):
#Packers CB Jaire Alexander, who was ruled out because of a knee injury, is going to be OK, source said. Not serious.
Essentially, a continuation of what he had been working through.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 17, 2024
Fortunately, it does not seem to be anything serious. The Packers must have taken him out of the game out of an abundance of caution.
Green Bay faces a tough challenge next week as the San Francisco 49ers come to town. The Packers have struggled against San Francisco mightily over the past few seasons, so having Alexander back would definitely be a boost.
But it is not yet known if he will be able to play.
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