Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson suffered a knee injury on the final drive of the game for the Denver Broncos in a 19-17 loss. This is not the first time this season that Watson has been dealing with injury issues. He missed the first three games of the 2023 regular season with a hamstring injury, and they were 2-1 without him,
They are 0-3 with him in the lineup this season. It will be interesting to see what happens throughout the week with Christian Watson’s availability. The Green Bay Packers next game will be against the Minnesota Vikings, who are 2-4 on the year.
Watson caught three passes for 27 yards receiving in this football game. So far this season, he has caught eight passes for 143 yards receiving and one touchdown. He is averaging 17.9 yards per catch. Christian Watson has put up those numbers in three games. Does he need the ball more, or is he taking away looks from players like Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, and Dontayvion Wicks?
If Green Bay Packers Wide Receiver Christian Watson Is Out For Any Period of Time and They Win Without Him, It’s Time to Have a Conversation
Watson had minor surgery on his right knee last June. The offense seems to be slower with Watson compared to when he was out of the lineup. Romeo Doubs caught two passes for 30 yards receiving and one touchdown against Denver. Jayden Reed caught three passes for 21 yards receiving and one touchdown. Dontayvion Wicks caught one pass for 17 yards receiving against the Broncos.
Jordan Love seems to be more comfortable throwing short passes to those players rather than throwing the deep ball to Christain Watson. Watson needs to be involved more in the short-passing game when healthy. Doubs feels like the number-one receiver for the Packers. He has caught 23 passes for 258 yards receiving and four touchdowns. He is averaging 11.2 yards per catch.
Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks also need to see the football more moving forward. Christian Watson being sidelined because of injury may not be a good thing for him, but the Packers offense may be better off without him.
Head coach Matt Lafleur spoke to the media after the game on Sunday about the injuries. He said to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
“We did have some adversity strike in terms of it just seems like we’ve got a lot of guys going down with injuries. And that’s just part of the game. And really, at the end of the day, nobody cares. The expectation is the same, next man up, when you go battle. And there’s a certain level of performance that we expect from our guys.”
Wicks, Reed, and Doubs would be able to step up without Watson with no issue. However, remember when Christain Watson’s name was mentioned in trade talks? It may be time to revisit it again.
