27 December 2023 , 19:23
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Green Bay Packers star Jaire Alexander has been placed on the reserve/suspended list.
It comes after coach Matt LaFleur criticised the cornerback for a "big mistake" during the coin toss at Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers. Alexander, who attended the coin toss without team permission, mistakenly told the referee that Green Bay wanted to start on defence instead of choosing to "defer."
LaFleur said: "That was a big mistake," and "That's something that you review with the guys before they go out there every time about, 'Hey, we win the toss, we're going to defer.' I went to the officials before the game, made sure they knew what we were going to do. We had an incident earlier this year where we had a similar situation, so always trying to be proactive in that approach."
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On the incident, Alexander explained: "I said, 'I want our defense to be out there,' and they all looked at me like I was crazy. I'm like, I mean it's pretty simple what I said, like I want the defense to be out there. They like, 'You mean defer?' and I'm like, 'Yeah, I guess.'"
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The Packers did manage to secure a 33-30 victory against the Carolina Panthers, thanks to a last-minute field goal. However, Alexander's defence didn't contribute much to the win. The Panthers, who have been struggling offensively this season, managed to gain nearly 400 yards in Sunday's match at Bank of America Stadium.
Bryce Young, the rookie quarterback, threw two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to level the game. Green Bay then completed their winning drive to avoid an upset.
However, the Packers' season isn't going as planned. After a three-game winning streak, they've only had one win in their last three games. They've slipped from being in a strong position for an NFC wild-card spot to being on the edge. With a 7-8 record, they're currently 10th in the conference.
Despite Alexander's coin toss error not costing the team, his poor decision reflects the lacklustre performance from Green Bay recently. "It feels good to win," admitted LaFleur, before adding, "Certainly made it a little closer than we would've liked but give Carolina a ton of credit. They fought for four quarters."
The Packers no longer have control over their playoff fate. However, they can still make it to the postseason with wins over the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears, along with some help from other teams. Quarterback Jordan Love said: "We kept our playoff hopes alive. We found a way."
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