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Green Bay Packers receivers Christian Watson (9) and Jayden Reed celebrate after Watson scores a touchdown against the Bears. Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After Injuries, These Packers Standouts Were Pain Against Bears

Originally posted on Green Bay Packers on SI
By Jacob Slinkman | Last updated Dec 10, 2025 11:11 AM ET

Coming off major injuries, Green Bay Packers receivers Jayden Reed and Christian Watson hit significant personal mileposts in the team’s victory over the Chicago Bears.

Sunday’s game marked the return of Reed to the Packers’ lineup. After going down with a broken collarbone during the Week 2 victory against the Commanders and getting surgery on both the collarbone and a foot injury, Reed was forced to spend the next 11 weeks on injured reserve.

Losing Reed was a huge blow to the offense. A second-round pick in 2023, he led the team in receptions and receiving yards during both his rookie and sophomore seasons. Picking up where he left off, he caught three passes for 45 yards and a touchdown in a huge victory over the Lions to open the season.

More than just a receiving threat, Reed last year became the only player in NFL history to have 55-plus receptions, 750-plus receiving yards, six-plus receiving touchdowns, 100-plus rushing yards and at least one rushing touchdown in each of his first two seasons in the NFL. He had 1,020 yards from scrimmage last season.

While he wasn’t able to get back in the end zone against the Bears, he came up big, ending the game with four catches for 31 yards, including an 18-yard catch to bring the Packers into Chicago territory on their go-ahead touchdown drive. He also got the ball on the ground twice, rushing for 22 yards.

“It was big time,” Jordan Love said about Reed’s return. “He made some big-time plays and I think there’s still more out there we could’ve got him involved in. Yeah, he’s just a playmaker. He had a very clutch catch on that last drive, and he’s another threat the defense has to be aware of. We did some cool things, being able to get him on some arounds and some sweeps. But he’s just a playmaker. He makes plays when the ball comes his way.”

Coach Matt LaFleur wasted no time getting the versatile Reed involved with three touches on the opening possession.

“It was certainly great to have Jayden Reed back out there today,” LaFleur said. “You can see some of the dynamic playmaking ability that he brings to our offense, obviously, with that critical catch on a through route that Jordan put on that final touchdown drive.”

The surgeries were the first of Reed’s career.

“I just wanted to be back out there, man,” he said. “I really had no expectations of any production or anything. I just wanted to go back out there and get my feet wet and win.”

Reed wasn’t the only receiver who had his own storyline against the Bears.

The last time the Bears came into Lambeau, in Week 18 of the 2024 season, Watson’s season ended when he tore his ACL.

Sarah Kloepping/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

“Going back to last year, I was sick. Everybody was sick,” Love said. “End of the season, to see him go down like that, obviously, he was battling through some other things throughout the season, but we were all sick and we knew what it meant to him.

“Obviously, it was going to be a long recovery for him to get back, and like I’ve mentioned before, we’ve all watched him during rehab and things like that throughout the offseason and training camp to be able to get back.”

Watson made his return earlier than some expected, making his season debut in Week 8 against the Steelers. He has been on a tear since coming back, averaging 64.5 yards per game with three 80-plus-yard performances and five touchdowns, all on just 25 receptions over seven games.

Watson was a difference-maker against the Bears, bringing in all four of his targets for 89 yards and two touchdowns, his second two-touchdown game of the season, leading the team in receiving yards and earning a game ball from LaFleur.

“Honestly, I tried not to think about it that much,” Watson said, “but as the game was getting going, it was definitely creeping in my mind a little bit. I’m just so thankful and blessed to be able to do what I do, and I’m glad that today panned out how it did, for sure.”

Watson scored the opening touchdown, a 23-yarder on a deep pass from Love in the second quarter. In the third quarter, on a drive started by Reed’s 15-yard run, Watson caught a short pass and sprinted through the Bears’ secondary for a 41-yard touchdown. Both of the touchdowns came on third down.

“Oh, man, that man’s different,” said Bo Melton, who added a 45-yard touchdown. “Everybody know that in this locker room. He’s the gazelle, man. That man 6-4 and runs a 4.1. It’s hard to cover the man.

“Just to see him out there and just to see him happy and playing and him being healthy and all that, I thank God for that because he works so hard. That’s a hard worker and, at the end of the day, he’s blessed with the abilities but he works hard for it. I love to see when he shines. Love to see when anyone shines in this locker room but love to see Christian, for sure.”

Watson hasn’t needed a lot of time to get back to form, looking like the same explosive player that he was before he tore his ACL. Or maybe better. He caught four passes for 85 yards in his debut against Pittsburgh, and had his first two-touchdown game three weeks later against the Giants.

“I really just kind of relied on the work that I put in to get back to this point,” Watson said. “I try to stay as locked into football as I could, just making sure I’m catching footballs even when I couldn’t run and everything. I really just lean on the work, all the preparation I did leading up to be able to get out here. I just kept the same confidence, same mentality throughout the whole thing, and it just allowed me to get back right where I started.”

Getting Reed and Watson back may be just what the Packers’ offense needs down the stretch to make a run for a top seed and a deep playoff run.

This article first appeared on Green Bay Packers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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