Sam Darnold’s ability to pick apart Green Bay’s defense underscored one of the biggest challenges facing the Packers as they head into the playoffs.
Injuries to the secondary have left the Packers vulnerable against quality passing attacks.
Jaire Alexander, the Packers’ two-time Pro Bowl cornerback, missed a sixth straight game with a knee injury Sunday as Darnold threw for a career-high 377 yards in the Minnesota Vikings’ 27-25 victory over Green Bay.
Asked Monday if there’s any chance Alexander could return the rest of the season, Packers coach Matt LaFleur replied, “I don’t know.”
Alexander remains exceptional in pass coverage when he’s available, but he has played just 10 defensive snaps over the past two months. He missed a Nov. 3 loss to Detroit with a knee injury and was on the field for 10 plays at Chicago the following week before the injury knocked him out again. He hasn’t played since.
“I do know that he’s been dealing with swelling and, you know, he doesn’t feel right to go out there and play,” LaFleur said.
Other Green Bay defensive backs are hurting as well.
Rookie safety Evan Williams has missed two straight games with a quadriceps injury. Rookie safety Javon Bullard returned Sunday after missing two games with an ankle issue, but Zayne Anderson left with a concussion six days after his breakout performance in a 34-0 victory over the New Orleans Saints.
The Vikings (14-2) capitalized, as Darnold threw three touchdown passes while building a 27-10 lead.
“We’ve got to do a better job in coverage, for sure,” LaFleur said. “I think your coverage is going to get better if you can get a better pass rush, as well, so it all goes hand in hand.”
The Packers (11-5) are slotted as the No. 7 seed in the NFC playoffs, though they could move up to sixth if they beat the Chicago Bears (4-12) and the Washington Commanders (11-5) lose at Dallas (7-9) on Sunday. The No. 7 seed will have to visit the NFC East champion Philadelphia Eagles (13-3) in the wild-card round.
They don’t have much of a chance of winning playoff games on the road if they play the way they did in Minnesota.
“I didn’t feel like it was to our standard, and you got to give them credit,” LaFleur said. “I mean, that’s a good football team. But I thought there was a lot of things within our own control in terms of playing with fundamentals and discipline that we did not do a very good job of. And that was disappointing. It just was sloppy football.”
In each of its games with the Vikings, the Packers have shown their tenacity as they’ve worked their way back from huge deficits before ultimately falling just short.
In its Sept. 29 loss to Minnesota at Lambeau Field, Green Bay fell behind 28-0, but got the final margin down to 31-29. This time, Green Bay trailed 27-10 midway through the fourth quarter, but got the lead down to two points again.
Six days after getting the first shutout of the NFL season, Green Bay couldn’t slow down Minnesota’s offense. The Vikings scored three touchdowns and two field goals in a span of six drives midway through the game. … Green Bay continues to start slowly against divisional opponents. The Packers trailed 13-3 at halftime Sunday and have been outscored 85-27 in the first half of their games with NFC North foes. They’ve outscored all other opponents 192-89 in the first half. … The Packers had only one sack and often gave Darnold plenty of time to throw.
LB Edgerrin Cooper continued his stellar rookie season by making 10 tackles, including four behind the line of scrimmage. … DL Karl Brooks had a sack and also pounced on the ball when CB Carrington Valentine fumbled at the end of an interception return.
WR Jayden Reed had just one catch for 6 yards out of his four targets. Reed has accumulated fewer than 35 yards receiving in six of his past seven games. … DL Lukas Van Ness hasn’t had a sack in his past four games.
Along with the injuries in the secondary, DL Devonte Wyatt left with a concussion and WR Christian Watson (knee) and LB Quay Walker (ankle) didn’t play.
7 — Josh Jacobs has a touchdown run in each of his past seven games to match the longest such streak in franchise history. Hall of Famer Paul Hornung had a touchdown run in seven straight games in 1960.
The Packers tune up for the playoffs by hosting the slumping Bears. Chicago has lost 10 straight games overall and has dropped its past 11 meetings with the Packers.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Green Bay Packers' Carrington Valentine runs back an interception during the second half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)
Green Bay Packers' Carrington Valentine intercepts a pass intended for Minnesota Vikings' T.J. Hockenson during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Minnesota Vikings' Justin Jefferson tries to get past Green Bay Packers' Javon Bullard during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 29, 2024, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Ticketed fans in Georgia and Notre Dame gear packed a plaza adjacent to the Superdome, enjoyed music under clear skies — and under the watch of snipers on rooftops — before filtering into the stadium for Thursday afternoon's College Football Playoff quarterfinal at the Sugar Bowl.
“It was a lot of fun. It felt safe, “said Shannon Horsey, a Georgia fan in her 40s who lives in Austin, Texas. ”Coming in they searched by bag thoroughly. So I felt like, OK, they're really paying attention."
She was in New Orleans with her husband, Joe, a 48-year-old Georgia graduate, and their teenage children, Jack and Zoe.
They extended their stay after the game, originally scheduled for Wednesday night, was postponed because of an attack in which a man drove a pickup truck into crowds in the French Quarter, killing 14 New Year’s revelers before police killed the attacker in a shootout. Dozens more were injured.
“We can see the presence up on the rooftop," Horsey said, pointing at a sniper above Champions Square. "So, I kind of felt like this is probably one of the safest places to be in the city.”
Joe Horsey found the pregame crowd larger than he expected but, also found the "energy lower than a normal football game.”
“You could sense the musicians trying to get people riled up. People are kind of going through the paces, a little bit in shock, but trying to make the best out of the day,” he said.
It also seemed to Horsey that opposing fans were being a little more polite to one another than at a typical game.
“SEC football can get nasty on game day and can get a little raucous," he said. "But there's a little different sense of civility and that there's bigger things than football.”
Flags were at half-staff outside nearby government buildings in memory of those killed in the attack, which has been labeled by authorities an act of terrorism.
The attack occurred on Bourbon Street, which runs through the heart of the French Quarter and is famously lined with bars, restaurants and clubs, near the corner of Canal Street, a main downtown artery.
The crime scene, which was gradually being cleared so it could be reopened to the public on Thursday afternoon, is about a mile’s walk from the Superdome.
Security was ramped up in and around the stadium.
Police blocked regular traffic from passing by the main Superdome entrance on Poydras Street, an eight-lane downtown artery.
A helicopter circled overhead.
Numerous security officers around the 70,000-seat stadium were handling dogs trained to sniff for explosive devices. They encircled cars entering the Superdome parking garage and in some cases sniffed bags and backpacks.
The game, originally scheduled for 7:45 p.m. CST on Wednesday, was pushed back to 3 p.m. Thursday, with the winner advancing to the Jan. 9 Orange Bowl against Fiesta Bowl winner Penn State. It was the first time the Sugar Bowl had been postponed in its 91-year history (although it had been relocated at the end of the 2005 season because of Hurricane Katrina).
Mark Oldani, a 58-year-old Nashville resident and 1988 graduate of Notre Dame, took a group photo for a gathering of Georgia fans in from of the Superdome.
The crowd was “friendly, nobody yelling back and forth at each other,” he said. “I think everybody's coming in hoping for a good game and wanting to make the most of a really difficult situation.”
Before the singing of the national anthem, a moment of silence, lasting close to half a minute, was held.
While many traveling fans extended their stay to attend the game, the postponement meant some would not be able to attend because of travel plans that were deemed too expensive or logistically difficult to change.
Numerous tickets were listed for resale online at prices of $30 or less, some as low as $23.
Postponing the game “was absolutely the right call,” said Lisa Borrelli, a 34-year-old Philadelphia resident who came to New Orleans with her fiancé, a 2011 Notre Dame graduate, but could not stay for the game.
She said they paid more than $250 per ticket and weren't sure if they'd bother listing them for resale because prices were so low.
“Of course we’re disappointed to miss it and to lose so much money on it, but at the end of the day it doesn’t matter,” Borrelli said. “We’re fortunate enough that we’ll be fine.”
The Superdome also is scheduled to host the Super Bowl on Feb. 9.
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Street view of Superdome ahead of the Sugar Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff game, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
A state trooper stands by New Orleans' Canal and Bourbon streets, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
FBI personnel arrive at the Caesars Superdome ahead of the Sugar Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff game, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Cory Hunter flips a coin on Bourbon Street, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in New Orleans. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Law enforcement gather in front of the Sonesta Hotel on Bourbon Street, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in New Orleans. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Tourist walk past temporary barriers on Bourbon Street, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in New Orleans. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)
Local SWAT teams patrol outside the Caesars Superdome ahead of the Sugar Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff game, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Fans pass through security check points as they enter the Superdome fan zone ahead of the Sugar Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff game, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Fans pass through security check points as they enter the Caesars Superdome fan zone ahead of the Sugar Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff game, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Fans pass through security check points as they enter the Superdome fan zone ahead of the Sugar Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff game, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Security with bomb sniffing dogs check vehicles as they enter the Superdome ahead of the Sugar Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff game, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Local SWAT teams patrol outside the Caesars Superdome ahead of the Sugar Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff game, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
An aerial overall exterior general view of Caesars Superdome, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman)
Security and bomb sniffing dogs check backpacks before entering the Superdome ahead of the Sugar Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff game, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Security and bomb sniffing dogs check vehicles as they enter the Superdome parking garage ahead of the Sugar Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff game, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Security with bomb sniffing dogs patrol the area around the Superdome ahead of the Sugar Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff game, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Security and bomb sniffing dogs check vehicles as they enter the Superdome parking garage ahead of the Sugar Bowl NCAA College Football Playoff game, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
