There was also explosive pregame drama with Texans Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs renewing his competition with Packers Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander. The two faced off twice an hour during the first two seasons of Alexander’s NFL tenure when Diggs was still with the Minnesota Vikings (2018-2019), but they didn’t see every opportunity like Diggs did. traded to the AFC and Buffalo Expenses. That didn’t stop the two burly personalities from clashing before Sunday’s game.
After the game, Diggs explained why there was an uproar during warmups: He’s no longer the most mature person on the field.
“I don’t give a damn if I’m alone or with a million,” Diggs said, via ESPN. “I’m never a bigger person. I’m not going to let shit go,” Diggs said after the game. “They picked him up or whatever. But I’m not with the difficult man of football.
Houston head coach DeMeco Ryans was not a fan of the interaction when discussing their postgame fight.
“Things like that happen. Those guys have a history. They’ve done it before. We don’t want to encourage that,” Ryans said. “We just want to play the right way and make sure he’s settled on the field.”
Alexander opted not to appear before the media in the storage room after the game, according to The Athletic, but new Green Bay defenseman Xavier McKinney had Alexander’s back. Even though 2024 was McKinney’s first hour with the Packers and he was no longer present for Alexander’s previous disputes with Diggs, he had his teammate’s back.
“I’m always 2-3,” Packers defenseman Xavier McKinney said, via The Athletic. “I’m with my guys and we’re going to travel together and that’s what it is. So if he doesn’t like it, then I don’t like it. That’s what it is.”