NEWSLETTER
Green Bay Packers wide receivers Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs came into the week with notable injury concerns. Both players were nursing hamstring injuries as the team began preparation for this week’s game against the Chicago Bears. And both players had their limitations in practice — with the most noteworthy being Watson missing both practices in their entirety.
For me, Friday’s injury report is always the most important. So when I saw ESPN’s Adam Schefter share details from the Packers injury report that Watson was OUT for Sunday’s Bears-Packers showdown, it really hit:
The Packers will miss Christian Watson
Watson is the biggest piece of the Packers’ passing game. This isn’t to say that the group is nothing without him. But Watson is (or, at least, is supposed to be) the straw that stirs the drink in Green Bay. Without him, a position group that had question marks coming into the season will have those questions amplified. In Week 1. On FOX’s national Game of the Week. No pressure, Jordan Love. You’ll just make your debut in the NFL’s longest-standing rivalry without your team’s top pass-catching option lining up out wide. Again, no pressure.
Christian Watson wasn’t the Packers’ leading receiver in 2022, but it sure felt like he was their best. Watson came up with 41 receptions, 611 receiving yards, and a team-best 7 touchdowns as a rookie. The North Dakota State product scored two touchdowns (1 rushing, 1 receiving) and did a ton of damage against the Bears in last December’s matchup. It doesn’t take much of an imagination to envision Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur cooking up more of the same this time around. So, for the Bears, they should consider this bit of injury news fortunate.
