With less than three minutes remaining in the Green Bay Packers’ 20-3 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, wide receiver Christian Watson headed to the locker room with an apparent injury.
“WR Christian Watson has been taken to the locker room with a chest injury, back injury, & is being evaluated for a concussion,” the Packers wrote on Twitter.
Watson only recorded one reception in the Packers’ victory, but it was a pivotal one. Ahead 13-3 and stuck at third and 11, quarterback Jordan Love launched a 50-50 ball to Watson. The former North Dakota State standout hauled it in to help the Packers seal the game.
After a strong finish last season, Watson has had a slow start to the 2023 campaign. In five games, Watson has amassed a mere 11 receptions for 176 yards and a single touchdown. Of course, this isn’t the first time Watson has dealt with injuries this season.
Watson missed the first three games of this season due to a hamstring injury. Packers fans expected Watson to be a leading contributor this season after a breakout rookie year. In his debut season, Watson tallied 41 catches for 611 yards and seven touchdowns.
The Packers need Christian Watson
Watson was particularly spectacular in the back half of the season, posting three 100-yard receiving games and scoring eight total touchdowns over the final eight games. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur had nothing but good things to say about Watson this summer.
“Just seems like a much more confident player. I think we saw that take shape last year, halfway through the season. Any time you’re a young player and you miss all of training camp essentially, that’s tough, difficult,” LaFleur said. “Him being healthy, he had a really good offseason, and just his knowledge of our offense. He’s one of the most intelligent players I’ve ever been around, especially at the wide receiver position.”
Green Bay will need Watson to begin to maximize his talents. The team averages just 198.6 passing yards per game, ranking in the bottom half of the league. The Packers’ performance on Sunday was a step in the right direction, breaking a four-game losing streak.
As of now, the Packers are third in the NFC North, only ahead of the Chicago Bears (2-7). Green Bay will look to increase its standing next Sunday when it takes on the Pittsburgh Steelers at 1 p.m. ET on CBS.
More must-reads: