Five Packers who have impressed in first quarter of season

Jaire Alexander

After an impressive rookie season, the question for Jaire Alexander was whether he could take the next step up. So far, he’s done far more than that. Alexander has been playing at All-Pro level in the opening four games of the season, showing why he has the potential to become one of the league’s very best at the cornerback position.

Alexander is the Packers’ number one cornerback, and soon he might be the best in the NFC North, which would be some accomplishment in the same division as Kyle Fuller, Darius Slay and Xavier Rhodes, who have five Pro Bowl and three All-Pro selections between them.

Through four games, Alexander leads the way for the Packers in pass defenses with six.

Alexander’s best game came in Week 3 against the Denver Broncos. He covered Emmanuel Sanders for a lot of the game.

Let’s quickly review Sanders’ production in the three games he’s played this season not against the Packers. Against Jacksonville, he had five catches for 104 yards. Against Chicago, he had 11 catches for 98 yards and a touchdown. Against Oakland, he had five catches for 86 yards and a touchdown.

According to Jeff Ratcliffe of Pro Football Focus, on 69 percent of Sanders’ routes in Week 3, Alexander was covering him. The result? Zero catches from his three targets. The second-year cornerback broke up a pass in the end zone that was intended for Sanders. Sanders only had two catches in total for 10 yards in the game.

Alexander is a star, and he’s been at his best so far this season.