Transformative piece makes a splash early and could be the key to Packers’ full offensive potential
Christian Watson had four catches in his first game back from an ACL injury, but he showed that his offensive value goes way beyond individual stats.
This is just who Christian Watson is. He doesn’t need the big stats and monster individual performances to show how impactful he is for the Green Bay Packers’ offense. In his first game back from an ACL injury, the fourth-year wide receiver was tremendous for the unit and became one of the reasons why Green Bay beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 35-25.
Christian Watson can affect the game in multiple ways
Yes, Watson did have four catches for 85 yards — which is good per se, but particularly impressive for a player that tore his ACL less than 10 months ago. But his impact on the offense goes beyond that. Watson has the ability to stretch the field vertically, opening space for everyone else underneath, and he is a truly influential run blocker.
“I mean, just to get him back in the fold, you can see just, it’s just his ability to do so many different things,” head coach Matt LaFleur said after the Packers’ win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. “He’s such an intelligent football player. He’s obviously a specimen. It was great to see him get back out there. I know the journey that he’s been on, it’s been a long road. It was a pretty devastating time when you think back to that game versus Chicago last year and to lose him. He’s such a great team-first oriented guy. Just always goes out there and competes, does his job. And I’m really excited for him.”
It’s not a coincidence that Tucker Kraft had his best game of the season after Watson is back. The receiver blocked for Kraft’s first touchdown against the Steelers, but simply his presence on the field changes the complexity of the offense.
“Getting Christian back was awesome,” quarterback Jordan Love mentioned. “Just another explosive player. What we want to be is the most explosive offense in the NFL. We’re just trying to find ways to be as consistent as possible, because we know what type of offense we’re capable of being. It just comes down to making plays. The first half wasn’t up to our standard, and I think the score reflected that. Some of our drives reflected that. But in the second half, we were able to do that. That’s what we need to be at all times, just trying to be as consistent as possible.”
The Packers’ offense is already pretty good, third in success rate and fourth in EPA/play through eight weeks. But for it to reach its ceiling, the unit needs Christian Watson. Now he’s back, and everything can be different again.
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