The Green Bay Packers were shorthanded at wide receiver on Thanksgiving, with Matthew Golden and Savion Williams out and Jayden Reed not ready to return to active duty.
It mattered not.
Jordan Love served up a platter of nice passes for his hungry receivers, who stepped up and led the Packers to a big win over the Detroit Lions.
In particular, Dontayvion Wicks showed up to play, having perhaps the best game of his career. Wicks caught six passes for 94 yards and two touchdowns and shone in some of the game’s biggest moments, including catching the game-ending fourth-down conversion.
It was a massive day for the third-year wide receiver, who often struggled with drops in 2024.
It was the type of performance a player can build upon. But with Reed, Golden, and Williams set to return, can Wicks continue to be a difference maker in a crowded room?
The Packers won the game on fourth down, flipping the script and stealing Detroit’s modus operandi. Two of those throws were to Wicks, a 22-yard score on a heavily contested throw and the 16-yard fourth-down conversion that allowed Green Bay to run down the clock. He lost his shoe on the final play, but it was a small price to pay to seal the game. Wicks also had a two-yard TD catch and added six yards on a run, giving him 100 total yards on the day.
The performance earned a game ball from Matt LaFleur and numerous praises from his teammates.
“This last guy. This guy had six for 94…” LaFleur began before the locker room cheers drowned out the rest of his words.
It’s a heartwarming reception for a player who’s had some downs. Last season, Wicks struggled with drops and, along with Reed, was one of the most drop-prone receivers in the league. This season, an early training camp injury slowed Wicks down. Despite playing in 10 games, Wicks didn’t look fully healthy until Thursday. Before Thanksgiving, Wicks hadn’t taken over a game, with just 22 catches for 213 yards and no touchdowns.
LaFleur had high praise for Wicks:
We’ve all seen the type of season it’s been for him in regard to battling through. He’s been injured, in and out of the lineup. He made critical plays all game — the touchdown on fourth down, the fourth-down conversion at the end. I’m just really proud of him and his mental toughness to stay with it because he’s a hell of a player. He’s a tough guy to cover and he came up big for us today.
“That boy played lights out,” fellow receiver Romeo Doubs said. “I am happy for him. I am happy for him. I am…happy for him. This is a guy I work with day in and day out. I’m just blessed to work with him.”
Green Bay’s offense hasn’t been consistent this season, and having an unexpected player step up down the stretch is always welcome.
The question is whether Wicks can build on this performance with consistency and continue to earn targets when the room is more crowded.
Christian Watson has been a difference maker since his return, and Romeo Doubs is often one of Love’s go-to guys. LaFleur always tries to cook up a little something for Savion Williams each game. Matthew Golden is still looking for his breakout game, and the Packers are finally finding the right ways to use Luke Musgrave.
For an offense that likes to spread the ball around, there are a lot of players worthy of targets.
It’ll be even more crowded when Reed returns. That could be as early as the next game, and he could quickly become a difference maker. Reed was the most dynamic receiver last season, even with his drop issues, and had a strong start to this season before his injury. If Reed can quickly get re-acclimated, it’s another hungry mouth to feed.
Wicks will need to continue to have good practices and make big plays when called upon. If he plays as he did on Thursday, that shouldn’t be a problem.
The Packers will need to decide if Wicks is part of their long-term plan sooner rather than later, so Wicks is heating up at a good time. The Packers couldn’t win on Thanksgiving without his contributions, and, ideally, a healthy Wicks can be a core component of Green Bay’s high-powered offense through the playoffs.
