Shutdown CB Jaire Alexander Begged The Packers Coaching Staff To Let Him Shadow Justin Jefferson All Game Yesterday - Instead They Decided To Not Cover The Star WR At All

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Justin Jefferson is a bad, bad man. In his first two years in the league he's made back to back second team All Pros while wreaking havoc on opposing secondaries. Entering the Packers opening game of the season you'd think the plan would be to let anyone else on the field beat them except number 18. You'd be wrong. 

The Packers opted to go with the ol' don't cover Justin Jefferson defensive strategy and buddy did it back fire. 

This next clip below was especially funny. Jefferson actually backtracks when he catches the ball because he expects someone to be there. Nope, no one within 10 yards. 

Somehow he scores there despite a mini-wall of Packer defenders near the goal line. Remarkable incompetence. 

Now when you play the Vikings you know Justin Jefferson is going to get his. Your best bet is to stop him from having something like over 100 yards and two touchdowns by half time. Theoretically if you had a shutdown cornerback who you just gave a 4 year $84 million contract to you'd have him shadow the star receiver all game. Seems LaFleur and Joe Barry didn't feel like that was the right call. 

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Nope, instead they went with zone all game that almost every player seemed confused by — the Packers players, not the Vikings. Their reasoning for this after the game seemed to be if you shadow Jaire on Jefferson you throw off the rest of the scheme. 1) I don't buy that 2) I feel like when the dude is torching you with ease you have to adjust the game plan, no? 

Alexander instead blanketed Adam Thielen all first half, keeping him quiet while Jefferson ran mad. The first time Alexander got matched up with Jefferson he drew an OPI. It's almost like that should have been the move all game? Jaire was targeted by the Vikings three times and did not allow a completion. I know I'm not among the brightest of NFL minds, but it's not brain surgery to put your best corner on their best WR to limit the damage, and my god was there a lot of damage. 

Now Justin Jefferson is a reason the Packers lost yesterday, but he's not the only reason. In fact in the second half the defense played a lot better, granted the destruction had already been caused. The offense, on the other side of the coin, never got going. We saw a similar performance last year to open the season against the Saints when they lost 38-3. That team ended up with the best record in the NFC, but that team also had Davante Adams. This one? Well, they're gonna have to rely on the rookies to do a whole lot more than be practice bodies. 

Second round pick Christian Watson had a chance to really make an impact out of the gates. Instead, he wound up on Rodgers' immediate bad side with this drop. 

Watson's weakness was drops coming into camp and that looks to be an issue. Davante Adams also had drop issues to begin his career so that's not the end of the world. Still wish he caught that ball. Doubs looked solid in the several passes thrown his wall so hopefully that relationship continues to build. 

The offensive line was missing all-pros David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins and it showed. The Packers are being extra cautious with their big guys, currently targeting Week 3 for their return. Allen Lazard's absence was noticeable as well, just look at the reception list. Not exactly an intimidating bunch. 

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I'm confident they'll get it together as a group, especially as the rookies get more experience and Lazard asserts himself as the definitive number one. Hopefully the next time the defense faces a dominant receiver they don't overthink things and deploy their shutdown corner, who gets a lot of money to do this thing, the correct way.