• Keep an eye on CeeDee Lamb: Lamb got the better of Jaire Alexander when these two teams last played, pulling in four of his six targets for 55 yards and a touchdown against the Packers CB1. However, he also tallied another seven receptions for 95 yards and another touchdown against other Packers defenders in that game.
• A huge opportunity for Packers rookie WR Jayden Reed: Reed will be matched up against Cowboys slot cornerback Jourdan Lewis, who has allowed more yards than any slot cornerback other than Keisean Nixon and Alontae Taylor.
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Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Green Bay Packers at Dallas Cowboys
When to watch: Sunday, Jan. 14th at 4:30 pm EST (FOX)
Spread: Green Bay Packers +7.5
Over/Under: 50.5
Packers CB Jaire Alexander is unlikely to cover CeeDee Lamb in the slot
One key storyline coming into this game is the matchup between Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander.
But while the two stars will be matched up against one another for a significant portion of the game, there’s a real opportunity for the Cowboys to exploit a mismatch when Lamb lines up in the slot.
Lamb has lined up in the slot on 524 of his 991 snaps this season — 69 of his 135 catches, 907 of his 1,749 yards and eight of his 12 receiving touchdowns have come when he has lined up as a slot receiver. He leads the league in all three of those categories when lined up in the slot, while his 2.51 yards per route run ranks sixth.
Jaire Alexander, on the other hand, has lined up in the slot on just 17 of his 445 defensive snaps. When the two teams met in Week 10 of the 2022 season, Alexander played just five snaps in the slot or in the box despite Lamb lining up in the slot on 57.3% of his snaps in that game.
Lamb got the better of Jaire Alexander in that Week 10 clash, pulling in four of his six targets for 55 yards and a touchdown against the Packers CB1. However, he also tallied another seven receptions for 95 yards and another touchdown against other Packers defenders.
The Packers primary slot cornerback is Keisean Nixon, who finished the regular season having allowed the second-most slot receiving yards of any defender in the NFL. He has allowed a reception once every 7.9 slot coverage snaps and an average of 1.25 yards per slot coverage snap, the 10th- and 14th-worst marks in the NFL this season.
Lamb vs. Alexander will get all of the hype, but the biggest mismatch will be if and when Lamb moves into the slot away from Alexander in coverage.
Jayden Reed vs. Jourdan Lewis gives the Packers their own mismatch in the slot
It’s not quite the same advantage as Lamb vs. Nixon, but the Packers will have their own mismatch advantage in the slot on offense in this game, thanks to the emergence of rookie wide receiver Jayden Reed.
The second-round pick out of Michigan State has feasted out of the slot this season, with his 653 slot receiving yards trailing only CeeDee Lamb and Amon-Ra St. Brown. Only Lamb has scored more touchdowns from the slot (8) than Reed's seven.
Reed will be matched up against Cowboys slot cornerback Jourdan Lewis, who has allowed more yards than any slot cornerback other than Nixon and Alontae Taylor. Lewis' 1.33 yards allowed per coverage snap in the slot ranks 11th-worst, while his 8.7 snaps per reception allowed in the slot is tied for 15th-worst.
Reed saw 98 targets over the regular season, the second-most among Packers receivers over the whole campaign. However, his 55 targets over the second half of the season is comfortably first, and he has seen 13 more targets than any other Packers player in the past four games he has played.
Impact Player Injuries
Green Bay Packers
Dallas Cowboys
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