Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson tried not to take the bait ahead of Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers.

Never mind that Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander has been known to talk trash before, during and after his matchups with Jefferson. That’s not something Jefferson was concerned with as he prepared to go against Alexander.

“I really don’t care about the matchup,” Jefferson said. “I feel like he cares more than I do.”

It started Sept. 11, 2022, when Jefferson erupted for 184 yards and a pair of touchdowns while being covered by Alexander. As both players prepared for a rematch on New Year’s Day 2023, Alexander memorably referred to Jefferson’s offensive outburst as a fluke. To his credit, Alexander then went out and held Jefferson to one catch for 15 yards, adding insult to injury by hitting the Griddy over him after breaking up a pass.

The rivalry took a backseat last season as Jefferson missed the first meeting between the Vikings and the Packers with a hamstring injury while Alexander missed the second because of a suspension.

That means this weekend will be the first time Jefferson lines up across from Alexander since being mocked by him. Though he once again tried to downplay the matchup, Jefferson relented when a reporter brought up the Griddy incident.

“It is what it is,” Jefferson said. “He likes to do that stuff to get inside somebody’s head. I’m not really tripping on that. I’m just going to get back at him by Griddying in his end zone.”

So maybe Jefferson cares more about the matchup with Alexander than he lets on. He’s just not going to let any of those antics throw him off his game.

“I understand that it’s a tactic to get inside my head,” Jefferson said. “It doesn’t really work.”

That’s because Jefferson has had a lot of practice controlling his emotions in the heat of the battle. He brought up how older brothers Jordan and Rickey used to pick on him growing up in an attempt to throw him off his game.

“I’m not thinking of it being a mind game,” Jefferson said. “I’m taking it personally as a little kid. Just having that in the back of my mind it doesn’t matter who I’m going up against. The little knickknack things that they do doesn’t really affect me very much.”

Maybe trying to throw some shade of his own, Jefferson noted how Alexander usually has safety help over the top, which allows him to be physical at the line without fear of repercussion.

“He likes to do the jump jam and likes to put hands on to disrupt the route,” Jefferson said. “We have a plan for it, and I can’t wait to go up against him.”

It’s not so much that Jefferson doesn’t care about going up against Alexander in particular. It’s more so that he’s gotten used to getting everybody’s best punch week in and week out.

“I’m at a very high level, and I feel like the only person that can hurt me is myself,” Jefferson said. “I’m always confident in my skill set to go out there and kill whoever is in front of me.”

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