For Packers receiver Christian Watson, Week 8 was long circled on the calendar as the best potential return spot from the devastating knee injury that he suffered in the final week of the season last January. ACL tears take a minimum of nine months to heal, and because Week 8 was just a bit more than nine months after he had surgery, it seemed the ideal time for Watson to do his rehab, get in some practice work, then be game-ready.
The fact that the season debut came against Aaron Rodgers, Watson’s first quarterback in Green Bay, was just a bonus.
As it turned out, an even bigger bonus came once Watson got into the flow of the game. Watson wound up playing 36 snaps, more than what the Packers had prescribed coming into the game.
That was the admission from Packers coach Matt LaFleur on Monday morning: “He actually played a little bit more than we anticipated but it was something we were monitoring the whole game. … I don’t think you can treat every play the same. It’s different if you’re on the back side if you’re run blocking vs. if you’re running a post down the field. I think there’s a little bit of wiggle room there.”
Christian Watson ‘Played a Lot of Ball’ for Packers
Amazingly, Watson looked as though he’d never been injured at all, going for 83 yards and catching all four passes that came his way from Jordan Love. As LaFleur pointed out, he was effective, too, as a blocker, throwing a key hit to help spring Tucker Kraft for a touchdown.
Watson was given a 79.6 grade for the night by Pro Football Focus, fifth-best on the team’s offense.
LaFleur said that Watson’s ability to accomplish the little things of the Packers offense was noticeable on Sunday night.
“Where you can tell is just the detail with how we do certain things. He has played a lot of ball for us and he has a great understanding of what we’re trying to accomplish.” the coach said.
Packers Have Been Seeing Improvement in Practice
LaFleur also said he was not surprised by Watson’s performance. Teammates and coaches have been raving about how good Watson looked in practice, and his showing on Sunday was just evidence of that.
“It’s the same thing we’ve been seeing in practice,” LaFleur said. “He’s a guy that just obviously brings an element to our offense and to our team, just the size, the speed—talked about it, many times, his versatility. So, I think that definitely showed true.
“You saw his presence felt not only in the passing game with those explosion plays but also as a blocker downfield. There was a heck of a block on Tucker’s first touchdown, there was some good stuff in the run game. He’s just a really big piece for us.”
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