Overlooked weapon resurges to deliver explosive plays in Packers win over Bears
Christian Watson had had only 27 targets through the Green Bay Packers' first nine games of the season. Yes, his career hasn't been perfect by any means. But he is still explosive, he has been more consistent, and his big-play ability is something the Packers don't find in any other player on the roster. On […]
Christian Watson had had only 27 targets through the Green Bay Packers' first nine games of the season. Yes, his career hasn't been perfect by any means. But he is still explosive, he has been more consistent, and his big-play ability is something the Packers don't find in any other player on the roster.
On Sunday, the Packers didn't throw the ball much. After all, the plan was to run the football exploiting the Chicago Bears' big defensive weakness. But when Jordan Love looked at Watson, he made the most out of it.
Four targets, four catches, 150 yards. Without him, the Packers wouldn't have gotten the 20-19 win.
"Christian Watson, I can't say enough about him," head coach Matt LaFleur said after the game. "Not everything has gone his way this year, but he is a resilient dude, he shows up to work every day, right mentality, great work ethic. I love the guy, I love being around him. I mean that for our receiving core. It's a crowded room, it's tough to get all those guys involved. Especially with how many passing attempts we had in the game. It's not a lot. We were trying to run the football, we thought that was something we could take advantage of. You just gotta maximize your opportunities when they come, and he certainly did that."
No play was bigger for the offense than Watson's 60-yard reception during the final drive. Watson dove to get the ball and was able to get up and create several yards after the catch. For Jordan Love, that shows the type of potential Watson has.
"The awareness to get that without being touched, go put together a huge run. Christian made some big-time plays in the game, had a couple of big-time catches, I'm proud of the way he balled out," Love mentioned. "It was a focus for us coming into this week, try to keep getting him the ball, getting him some touches. Definitely a guy that we feel we can keep trying to get the ball and some ops down the field."
Watson knows his connection with Love is a big part of what the Packers' offensive ceiling looks like.
“I feel like it’s been there," the receiver said. "It was just able to be put on display a little bit more today (Sunday).”
Early in his career, Christian Watson suffered with drops — you might remember that huge one against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1 of 2022, his first NFL play. Well, those days seem to be in the past.
"All four of those catches were contested catches," Love added. "They were not easy catches. He made that play, and that's what it comes down to. We talk about it all the time, just going out there and making those plays all Sunday. Once you make one play, you get that confidence and it's easier to go out there and make the next play."
Christian Watson still has fewer targets than Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, Tucker Kraft, even fewer than Josh Jacobs now. But the third-year receiver is making the most out of them, and the trend for him to get more opportunities shouldn't slow down.
Packers HC Matt LaFleur shares insightful perspective that should get fans excited for the rest of the season
It wasn’t the cleanest performance by the Green Bay Packers against the Chicago Bears. It feels like that’s the trend, though, throughout the Packers’ season. However, head coach Matt LaFleur has an interesting point of view about how the team has played, and how they can still improve in 2024 — even though it doesn’t […]
