Back and forth between LaFleur and Love defined first Packers big-play vs Lions
When a team is facing such an explosive offense as the Detroit Lions have, it has to be aggressive to win in the NFL. And the Green Bay Packers were exactly that on Thanksgiving, literally since the first offensive play. On their first snap, quarterback Jordan Love found wide receiver Christian Watson for a big […]
When a team is facing such an explosive offense as the Detroit Lions have, it has to be aggressive to win in the NFL. And the Green Bay Packers were exactly that on Thanksgiving, literally since the first offensive play. On their first snap, quarterback Jordan Love found wide receiver Christian Watson for a big 53-yard gain, leading to the team's first touchdown of the game later on.
And the playcall was born from a fun back and forth between Love and head coach Matt LaFleur. According to the quarterback, they knew this was going to be the first play of the game since Wednesday. However, the offensive playcaller was not as confident on its design.
After the game, LaFleur recalled an interesting communication with Love on Thursday morning. The coach texted the quarterback to change the playcall up, but Love said he wanted that play.
"As a matter of fact, I was kind of mulling it over a little bit. I text Jordan this morning, said we were gonna change it to something else, and he said he wanted this call. I said ok," LaFleur said. "I wasn't sure where the ball was gonna go, but I had a good idea it might have gone to Christian. Just with the action that we had, I was kinda concerned that we didn't have the checkdowns that we might need. But our protection was phenomenal, because it was a later-developing play to throw a post."
In fact, there weren't any checkdowns available on the play. However, Jordan Love was able to stand in the pocket and make the pass. It was a slight underthrow, but Christian Watson adjusted his route and attacked the ball to make the reception.
"I told Christian right before the game. I said 'Hey, there's a good chance this play is gonna go to you, just go up and attack the football.' And he did exactly that," LaFleur recalled. "He had a big-time game today, that was good to see for him. He hasn't been flawless at this point, but he came up big today, he made a lot of critical catches."
Watson had by far his best game of the season, with five catches — he hadn't had more than three in a game this season. The second-year receiver finished the game with 94 yards and a touchdown.
Playoff picture
With the win over the Lions, the Packers improved their record to 5-6 — which is better than their record after 11 games last season. It was an important result because the team had to handle several injuries, and now they have a mini-bye week before facing the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football 10 days from now.
Love and Watson find their groove to elevate Packers’ ceiling
Quick takeaways after Packers win over the Lions
