Cornerback Jaire Alexander landed a big new contract from the Packers this offseason, but that wasn’t enough to wipe out the bad taste in his mouth from the end of the 2021 season.
Alexander missed the final 13 games of the regular season because of a shoulder injury and then returned for the Packers’ playoff opener against the 49ers. He played sparingly and didn’t look like himself when he missed a tackle on Deebo Samuel on a 49ers conversion that set up a game-winning field goal as time expired in the fourth quarter.
Alexander said this week that the whiff has served as a motivating factor for his offseason work
“It was super bitter, man. I was only in for less than 10 plays, and I missed a tackle. I was so upset about that missed tackle,” Alexander said, via Jason Wilde of Madison.com. “That was my first time tackling in a few months, so I was pissed, honestly. It was more mental. And that fueled me for this offseason.”
There were plenty of reasons for the Packers to have regrets about their early playoff ouster last season. If enough of them turn into motivating factors for the coming year, they may be able to turn it into a deeper postseason run this time around.