Taylor Swift might have been at Lambeau Field to watch the Kansas City Chiefs, but it was the Green Bay Packers who put on the love story.
(I am the first NFL writer ever to make that joke.)
Jordan Love led the Packers to a massive upset victory over the defending Super Bowl champs. For the fourth week in a row, Love had his best game of the season, and the offense is reaching new heights.
Love is starting to look like a bonafide star, and his chemistry with his receivers is leading to an offensive resurgence. Particularly notable is how well Christian Watson played the past few weeks. After tantalizing fans in last year’s Philly game and the preseason, we’re finally seeing the Love/Watson connection flourish. Watson seemed to get his groove back, and Sunday night’s victory provided a taste of what a Watson-focused offense can look like.
Between a hamstring injury keeping him sidelined and sapping some speed, the offense’s overall early struggles, and perhaps some confidence issues, Watson’s first half of the season left much to be desired. (His father getting into Bad Blood social media battles on his behalf probably didn’t help either.)
But as a staunch Watson truther, I believed his future was still bright. His size and athletic profile can’t be taught, and his ceiling is sky-high.
It certainly didn’t help that his usage wasn’t doing him many favors. For the first half of the year, Love’s biggest struggles were on deep passes. Watson was pretty much only being used as a deep threat. The two rarely made it work. But with Love getting more comfortable in the offense and the rest of the receivers ascending, LaFleur can finally use Watson in multiple ways.
Watson had a ton of success from the slot in his rookie season, but he hadnβt seen much action there in 2023. With his size and speed, he’s a matchup nightmare in the middle of the field. On top of how good Love has been on play-action, those two are creating something beautiful at midfield.
People criticized Watson for his ability to fight for contested catches and to use his size, and his efforts over the past two weeks showed his ability to shake it off. Since Week 9, Watson has led NFL wide receivers in contested catches, with 5. That ability was well on display in his second touchdown against Kansas City.
Watson also bodied Trent McDuffie, one of the league’s top corners, on his first touchdown.
While he had to leave the game early after an awkward landing, Watson finished Sunday night with seven receptions for 71 yards, surpassing his previous high of six catches and two TDs. Watson also had two runs, his most this season, for an additional 15 yards.
Against Kansas City, Watson was the second-highest-graded offensive Packer for both PFF (88.9) and Andy Herman (+1.35). In fact, Watson is PFF’s highest-graded wide receiver since Week 10.
After a rough early season, Watson is turning the corner and becoming the focal point we’d hoped for. He’s an excellent blocker and decoy option, even when the ball isn’t in his hands. Watson is willing to do the dirty work, and the threat of his breakaway ability helps his peers get open.
There have been some cruel summers for Watson, who has missed time early during both of his NFL seasons thanks to injuries. Watson has amazing physical gifts but needs some polish. Therefore, losing that speed affects his entire game, leading to confidence issues. It’s not dissimilar to Davante Adams, who broke out late in his rookie year but had issues his sophomore season thanks to injuries. While they are different players in different situations, it’s another uncanny similarity to Packer teams of the past.
Hopefully, the hamstring injury Watson sustained late in Sunday’s game isn’t serious. As of this writing, we still aren’t sure of its severity. If he’s good to go, expect to see more games like Sunday’s for Watson. Just as in his rookie year, once the Packers unlocked Watson, he opened new dimensions for the offense.
I’d still expect to see the Packers move the ball around from week to week. Green Bay’s receivers are starting to carve their niche, and each skill set will get the spotlight as the game plan needs. Jayden Reed has been the team’s most reliable receiver, Dontayvion Wicks is starting to emerge as a separation threat, and Doubs is one of Love’s favorite end-zone targets. But a fully unleashed Watson makes all of their lives easier.
Watson will have games like Sunday’s where he’s the guy. However, he’ll always be a major contributor if he plays with the skill, confidence, and style he has the past few weeks. Watson has the gifts to be a long-term WR1 for Green Bay, and this offense is at its best when Watson is involved and healthy.
