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Packers' Watson after huge drop: 'I’m going to make it the next time it comes my way'
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson reacts after dropping a would-be touchdown pass during the first quarter of their game against the Minnesota Vikings Sunday, September 11, 2022 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. Mark Hoffman / USA TODAY NETWORK

Packers' Christian Watson after huge drop: 'I’m going to make it the next time it comes my way'

It was the drop heard around the NFL world. Rookie wide receiver Christian Watson had the opportunity to take a dime from Aaron Rodgers 75-yards to the house on the Green Bay Packers' very first offensive drive.

It would have been a heck of a way for Watson to start his NFL career. It also could have really set the tone for Green Bay's offense. In a game that ended up 23-7 in favor of the Minnesota Vikings, who knows how an opening-drive touchdown would have changed things for the Packers?

Alas, Watson dropped potentially the easiest catch he'll ever see in the NFL, and it was all downhill from there for the Pack.

It's now up for both Watson and the Packers to bounce back from the disappointment of Week 1. While that certainly will be easier said than done — especially for the young wide receiver — Green Bay should at least be encouraged that the second-round draft pick is at least keeping his mindset right.

“It obviously was tough,” Watson said of the drop, according to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. “It’s a play that I know I can make. I just go forward knowing that I’ve made that play 100 times in the past and I’m going to make it the next time it comes my way.”

The tough thing for Watson is that his quarterback, the four-time MVP, is notoriously skeptical of young receivers and is very hard to regain the trust of once it's lost. Rodgers may not give Watson 100 more opportunities to catch that ball if he doesn't feel the young wideout will catch the football.

It will take some growth from both players in order for the drop to become a thing of the past. It is worth noting that at the very least, Rodgers did come back to Watson one more time late in the game. 

The rookie from North Dakota State caught one pass for seven yards in his debut, but oh what could have been.

Andrew Kulha

Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports

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