💥 Justin Jefferson faces a Packers defense transformed beyond Jaire Alexander, and fans are witnessing a rivalry reborn in real time.QQ

Star wide receiver has had a tough year for his standards, but the Packers will still have a difficult time trying to limit him.

Those Justin Jefferson and Jaire Alexander battles were defining moments in the NFC North. Whenever the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers faced, those individual matchups were highly anticipated. Jefferson had his big games, but mostly when the Vikings were able to move him around to avoid Alexander.

Now, though, Jaire is gone from the Packers. He was released, signed with the Baltimore Ravens, was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, and asked for a time away from football to recover from his sequence of knee issues. On Sunday, when the Packers face the Vikings at Lambeau Field, the rivalry enters a new phase.

Penei Sewell is RUNNING AWAY with the NFL’s newest award in 2025…Penei Sewell is RUNNING AWAY with the NFL’s newest award in 2025…

Justin Jefferson stats in the NFL and vs. the Packers

Yards per route run
Career: 2.57
Vs. Packers: 2.47

Yards per game
Career: 95.6
Vs. Packers: 87.0

Justin Jefferson’s timeline

It’s been a tough season for Justin Jefferson, relative to his potential. With the team’s shaky quarterback situation, the star receiver has had his worst yards per route run (2.06) and by far the worst passer rating when targeted (61.5) of his NFL career.

Justin Jefferson’s passer rating when targeted

• 2020: 116.4
• 2021: 113.9
• 2022: 108.8
• 2023: 109.8
• 2024: 107.4
• 2025 (through 11 weeks): 61.5

But any discussion about Jefferson’s willingness to play for the Vikings is likely overblown. The coverage of Justin Jefferson has been rough since the offseason he signed his contract extension. The rough performance against the Baltimore Ravens gave critics the ammon that they were searching for. However, it was as simple as this: An overreaction. Jefferson is a captain who is well-respected across the board, and while the frustration is real, there is nothing more to read into this.

The Vikings didn’t consider trading Jefferson for a second in the offseason he signed his contract extension, they won’t consider it now or in the near future.

How the Packers plan to limit Jefferson

This season, defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley has been adaptive to change defensive looks. While cover 3 is still the most utilized coverage, the defense has also had a fair share of cover 2, cover 6, and quarters — more compared to last season. Hafley has played around 20% of man coverage, even, mostly cover 1. But that shouldn’t be the case against such a talented receiving core of the Vikings.

For most of the season, the Packers’ cornerbacks have played sides — Keisean Nixon on the left, Carrington Valentine (or Nate Hobbs, earlier in the season) on the right. If that’s the case, though, it will be easier for Kevin O’Connell to adjust the more favorable matchups for Jefferson and Jordan Addison. The defensive front generating pressure will be as key as the secondary performance — and how safeties will directly help the corners.

The Packers have been effectively avoiding big plays — they are the defense which allowed the fewest number of 10-yard and 20-yard plays. So far, J.J. McCarthy hasn’t shown the play-by-play consistency to drive down the field, and that’s probably how Green Bay could limit Jefferson in the first matchup without a dominant cornerback like Jaire Alexander.