The Green Bay Packers lost more than just a game against the Chicago Bears in Week 18. They lost one of their best offensive players, wide receiver Christian Watson, who went down with a non-contact knee injury in the second quarter. From the moment it happened, fans (and probably the Packers themselves) feared the worst.
On Monday morning, their fears were realized. Watson suffered a torn ACL and will miss the remainder of the playoffs.
Sources: #Packers standout WR Christian Watson is believed to have torn his ACL and suffered additional damage, ending his season and putting the beginning of 2025 in jeopardy.
A frustrating reality for that talented pass-catcher. pic.twitter.com/KgVXQY2QM2
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 6, 2025
Obviously, this puts his availability for OTA’s, training camp, and the start of the 2025 NFL season in serious doubt as well.
Green Bay Packers Wide Receiver Christian Watson Was Called Upon to Play vs the Chicago Bears
Watson had missed the Packers’ previous game, a Week 17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, due to a knee injury he suffered in Week 16 against the New Orleans Saints.
In that game, a 34-0 victory, a Saints defender landed on Watson’s knee, forcing him out of the game. Afterwards, it was revealed that he had suffered a bruised knee, but that he would not be out long.
Watson did not practice at all leading up to the loss to the Vikings, and he did not practice until Friday of last week leading up to the Bears game. Even when he did practice that day, it was as a limited participant.
Late Saturday night, Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs was added to the injury report with an illness. This kept him out of the game on Sunday, and Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur said it played a role in his decision to have Watson play.
Now they will be without him for the foreseeable future.
Christian Watson Injury History Since Joining the Green Bay Packers
After the Packers drafted Watson in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft, he had surgery on his knee in an effort to help prevent leg injuries. This caused him to miss a large portion of OTA’s and training camp.
Unfortunately, injuries found Watson. He suffered some soft tissue injuries as a rookie, but played in 14 out of 17 games. In 2023, though, he was limited to just nine games due to hamstring injuries.
During this past offseason, the Packers sent Watson (and Eric Stokes) to a specialist in Madison, Wisconsin to help them figure out why they were suffering so many injuries.
For Watson, it turned out that one of his legs was stronger than the other, forcing over-compensation and tearing. Once the issue was identified, he was able to fix it.
And that worked. Hamstring issues have not been a problem for Watson this year.
He missed Week Five due to a sprained ankle he suffered in Week Four, but was able to return after sitting out just one game. He also sat out the aforementioned Vikings game due to the knee bruise.
This latest injury, though, is by far the worst and most severe. It truly is unfortunate as the offense is so much better and dangerous when he is on the field. Not only is a speed threat, but he is a great blocking wide receiver.
Indeed, this is one of the biggest blows the Packers could have taken headed into the postseason.
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