Jaire Alexander kept the receipts.
The star Packers cornerback spent last week promising to shut down Justin Jefferson, the elite Vikings wideout, and did just that in Sunday’s 41-17 victory. Jefferson had torched the Packers for nine catches, 184 yards and two touchdowns when the teams met in Week 1. Alexander called this performance a “fluke” and then backed up his words. On Sunday, Alexander largely shadowed Jefferson wherever he went on the field, and held him to one catch for 15 yards.
“Tell Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless they need to watch what they say when they talk about me, you feel me?” Alexander told reporters after the game on Sunday. “They need to watch what they put out. Talkin’ about, ‘He a good corner.’ I’m a great corner.”
Prior to the game, Sharpe had said that Alexander’s “bumping them gums” wouldn’t do anything for his performance on Sunday, and pumped up Jefferson’s extraordinary season — 123 catches for 1,756 yards coming into the game — as anything but fluky. Bayless said the trash talk was a “bad idea” on Alexander’s part.
Jaire Alexander hits the ‘Griddy’ after breaking up a pass to Justin Jefferson.Getty ImagesBut, to the victor goes the spoils, and Bayless and Sharpe both applauded Alexander for backing up his talk with his play on the field.
“Jaire, you had an unbelievable game,” Sharpe said on Monday. “You played extremely well, and you needed to play extremely well in order for your team to have a chance to win … You played well, deservingly, so you get to pat yourself on the back; your teammates should pat themselves on the back. You played phenomenal.”
Bayless concurred. “I agree,” he said. “I don’t mind him calling us out because he walked his talk.”
