Umfragen » The Green Bay Packers envisioned Jaire Alexander as their

starting cornerback of the future when they selected him in the first round of this past year’s NFL draft.It didn’t take long for that to come to fruition in 2018 Lance Kendricks Color Rush Jersey , as Alexander has started three games this season, including this past Sunday in Los Angeles.However, Alexander had missed the past two games with a groin injury. Perhaps that’s why, combined with his rookie status, Jared Goff and the Rams appeared to be picking on Alexander. The first-round pick more than held his own.Alexander had five pass breakups against the Rams, which was the most for any Packers defensive back in over a decade. Before Alexander’s performance, only two Green Bay players (for a total of three times) had recorded five or more passes defensed (a PD = passes broken up + interceptions) in a game since 1999.DATEOPPPDINT10/28/2018Rams5011/27/2005Eagles5012/7/2003Bears529/14/2003Lions61In that timespan (passes broken up/defensed is a recent statistic and pro-football-reference.com currently traces it back through 1999), Alexander is just one of eight rookies to have 5+ passes defensed in a game — Dee Millner did it in back-to-back weeks in December 2013 — which is even more impressive considering how often quarterbacks target inexperienced cornerbacks.Of the nine such instances by a rookie, only two had five pass breakups — Alexander and Seattle’s Marcus Trufant in 2003.PLAYERDATETEAMOPPPDINTJaire Alexander10/28/2018PackersRams50Kevin Peterson12/31/2017Rams49ers52Jalen Ramsey12/18/2016JaguarsTexans51Dee Millner12/29/2013JetsDolphins52Dee Millner12/22/2013JetsBrowns51Tanard Jackson11/4/2007BucsCardinals51Marcus Trufant11/23/2003SeahawksRavens50Anthony Henry11/8/2001BrownsRavens53Rodney Heath11/28/1999BengalsSteelers52Since 1999, but not including this season, there have been 85 games of a player recording 5+ passes defensed. That comes out to an average of 4.47 per season. However, in this pass-heavy era https://www.thepackersfanshop.com/Davon-House-Jersey , the average number of such games this decade is just 3.14 (again, not including this season). Through Week 8, Alexander is the only player in 2018 to have a game with five PD.On four occasions in 2017 did a player have 5+ PD, three in 2016 and ’15 and just one in 2014.Of the 23 times it has occurred since 2011, just eight (including Alexander) were all on pass breakups.DATETEAMOPPPDINT10/28/2018PackersRams5012/31/2017Rams49ers5212/24/2017BearsBrowns6112/3/2017DolphinsBroncos5210/1/2017ChargersEagles5012/18/2016JaguarsTexans5110/2/2016RamsCardinals619/25/2016RaidersTitans5011/29/2015RaidersTitans6111/15/2015VikingsRaiders529/27/2015TexansBucs5011/10/2014EaglesPanthers5112/29/2013GiantsRedskins6212/29/2013JetsDolphins5212/22/2013JetsBrowns5111/10/2013RavensBengals6110/6/2013EaglesGiants5010/29/2012GiantsCardinals609/9/2012BroncosSteelers5112/24/2011PatriotsDolphins5112/24/2011JetsGiants5011/27/2011RedskinsSeahawks519/11/2011BrownsBengals50Of the 67 players who have recorded a game with 5+ PD since 1999, only two players — Anthony Henry and Quintin Jammer — did it three times and just 15 (including Green Bay’s Mike McKenzie) own two such games.After Sunday’s game, perhaps Alexander now will get more respect from opposing quarterbacks, making it harder for him to reappear on this list again.<em>Dave Heller</em><em> is the author of </em><em>Ken Williams: A Slugger in Ruth’s Shadow</em><em> (a Larry Ritter Book Award nominee), </em><em>Facing Ted Williams – Players From the Golden Age of Baseball Recall the Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived</em><em> and </em><em>As Good As It Got: The 1944 St. Louis Browns</em> GREEN BAY, Wis. 鈥?The Green Bay Packers must make a stand just to stay in the playoff conversation.The injury list is growing. Their postseason hopes are in serious jeopardy. They’ll need breaks to go their way with teams ahead of them in the wild-card chase.Tune out the outside noise and criticism of what might be wrong, David Bakhtiari said.More Packers coverage from FOX Sports WisconsinProtecting QB Aaron Rodgers will be Packers’ priority vs. BearsPackers place starting guard Bell on IR, sign OL SiragusaStaTuesday: Packers’ Rodgers sets record with INT-free streakPackers Snap Counts: Patrick shows fight in first startUpon Further Review: Packers vs. Falcons“I think there is a lot of Bryan Bulaga Jersey , on the outside, a lot of fingers pointing a lot of different directions,” the veteran left tackle said on Wednesday. “And if you were to ask me what we need to do I think we need to take that finger and we need to point it at ourselves.“No one needs to point any other direction,” he added. “We need to figure out ourselves what we need to do to win.”While it may not be a long list, some of the same problems keep nagging the Packers: they’re having problems on third downs and they’re having trouble closing out tight games on the road.Fortunately for Green Bay (4-6-1), the last month of the season has a favorable schedule starting with a home game this weekend against the Arizona Cardinals (2-9). It’s the same team that allowed Philip Rivers to go 28 of 29 for 259 yards with three touchdowns in a 45-10 loss to the Chargers.“He’s one of my favorite players to watch,” said Rodgers. He watched last week’s film and praised Rivers for, among other things, throwing into tight spots and finding the right receivers.As for Rodgers, he’s apparently taking some heat from TV pundits for at least a couple of poor throws in last week’s聽24-17 loss聽to the Minnesota Vikings. The two-time NFL MVP fielded a couple of questions about fundamentals after practice Wednesday.7View Gallery Gallery:Upon Further Review: Packers at VikingsUSA TODAY NETWORKOne attempt might stand out 鈥?a throw to receiver Equanimeous St. Brown on second-and-1 at the 20 with 2:34 left that bounced near the rookie’s feet. The Packers settled for a field goal, and the Vikings ran out the clock. Another misfired throw stuck to the quarterback’s hand, Rodgers said.“Oh J'Mon Moore Color Rush Jersey , it’s embarrassing, for sure. … I remember (Hall of Fame quarterback Brett) Favre used to say, ‘Anything you do, I’ve done many times previous.’ And I actually tell the young guys this all the time, ‘The mistakes you make, I’ve made before,'” Rodgers said.But when it comes to fundamentals, Rodgers said nothing has changed, other than his completion rate of 61.7 percent is down from the past couple of seasons and below his career average of 64.9.He still drills them. He said he’s not playing any differently.“I don’t put a lot of weight into a pundit on (TV) talking about fundamentals,” Rodgers said. “I listen to my quarterback coach and my offensive coordinator and my head coach. My study of myself, I’m very critical of my own film.”The Packers’ offense has been so prolific for so long under Rodgers and coach Mike McCarthy that season-long problems such as they ones the offense has had tend to stand out.“We had some opportunities that we hit sometimes and sometimes you don’t. The most important thing for us is to keep going after it. And that’s what we’re doing,” McCarthy said.Consider that Rodgers has thrown 20 touchdowns to just one interception https://www.thepackersfanshop.com/Nick-Perry-Jersey , a ratio that almost any other team in the league would crave. He finished the second drive against Minnesota with a聽vintage back-shoulder touchdown throw聽to No. 1 wideout Davante Adams.The quarterback was hamstrung earlier in the year by a left knee injury that limited his practice time. Starting receivers Randall Cobb and Geronimo Allison have been hurt for much of the season, and tight end Jimmy Graham is now trying to play through a thumb injury.It has left more attention from opposing defenses to Adams, and more snaps for rookies St. Brown and Marquez Valdes-Scantling.The Packers were 2 of 10 on third down against the Vikings, including 1 of 6 in the second half, when they were held to just three points after being tied at 14 at halftime. Green Bay also couldn’t convert on fourth-and-1 from its 44 in the third quarter.“I think we’ve just got to be more decisive as a unit,” Bakhtiari said.His availability is in question for Sunday after he missed practice with a knee injury. Starting left guard Lane Taylor (quad), along with Cobb (hamstring) and cornerback Kevin King (hamstring) were limited.