Suddenly, the Green Bay Packers did not practice Tuesday for Saturday night’s playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers. Cornerback Jair Alexander’s presence will be limited if he practices. It’s great.
Alexander sprained his ankle in practice last week but returned to play a key role in the Packers’ playoff win over the Dallas Cowboys with a key first-quarter interception that gave the Packers an early lead by 14-0.
However, with about 5 minutes left in the third quarter, he launched a counter attack. Alexandru did not play again and had nothing to do with the draw. “I don’t think he’s back, but I don’t know,” coach Matt LaFleur said Monday. “I think we’ll find out more as the weeks go by and I hope he can play because he brings a lot to our team. “It was great to see him in action in a game of this magnitude.”LaFleur had 15 players on his first injury report this week. That includes linebacker Kingsley Enagbare, who suffered a game-ending knee injury.
He had a team-high two quarterback touchdowns against the Cowboys.”I can’t say enough good things about him and the growth from last year to this year, the contributions he’s made to the team, not just on defense,” LaFleur said. “I like his style of play and his relentless pursuit of the football.”
“There are more examples in the game of the physicality that we preach, the rush to the ball.”LaFleur said the rest of the team’s outfielders and coach Jason Rebrovich rallied around Enagbare and helped him overcome the mental and physical pain.“Everyone is hurt because of that person. “We’re all heartbroken for him,” LaFleur said.
“He’s come this far and he shows up every day with the right attitude, the right attitude. “It’s unfortunate for him and our football team that he’s in this position.”The Packers often rotate their outside linebackers in pairs, so Rashaan Gary and Preston Smith take the field together, followed by first-round picks Enagbare and Lucas Van Ness. Without Enagbar, Brenton Cox is the next man up.
The undrafted rookie appeared in four games, recording four defensive tackles and nine special teams tackles. His last game was on Thanksgiving Day in Detroit. His last defensive tackle came in Week 6 at Denver. The bye week in San Francisco did a lot to bring back Christian McCaffrey, who was fully engaged.
Four players did not practice: left tackle Trent Williams, linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Logan Ryan. All three will practice Wednesday, coach Kyle Shanahan said.”I think he’s ready and ready to go,” Shanahan said of McCaffrey, who led the NFL in rushing yards.
“It’s the same as last year. I think he was in a playoff game when he was 5 years old. Christians are always the same. He always waits for that moment. “He’s been waiting for this moment for a long time,” he said.
