Christian Watson leaves mark on Packers offense even without the ball

When it comes to production, we didn’t see Christian Watson stuff the stat sheet as he has over the previous four games, where he accumulated 313 receiving yards and eight total touchdowns. However, his presence on this Green Bay Packers offense was very much felt.

Watson finished the night with four receptions on six targets for a modest 46 yards. Even afterwards, Aaron Rodgers pointed out some missed opportunities that could have been touchdowns. But Watson was very much able to impact the game in other ways.

For much of the first half, Rams star cornerback Jalen Ramsey followed Watson, and as Matt LaFleur pointed out, tells us the amount of respect they have for him. It was also evident that the Rams’ game plan was to take away the big play, leading to a heavy dose of cover-2 and soft coverages that the Packers were able to take advantage of with the quick passing game and running the ball.

If we were to go back and rewatch the Packers’ offensive possessions from a month and a half ago against Dallas and Detroit, those defenses didn’t fear the Green Bay passing game and were playing a lot of press and cover-1. This led to receivers getting jammed regularly and made the running and quick games more challenging with the extra defenders near the line of scrimmage. This hasn’t been the case as of late, however, and a big reason is Watson’s speed and home run ability.

"“I think Watson defiantly had something to do with it,” said Aaron Rodgers postgame when asked about the Rams’ usage of cover-2. “They had Jalen on him for a decent part of it, but it wasn’t like he was singled up; it was a lot of two-shell–surprising and not a lot of pressure.”"

Watson’s gravity was also on display as well with the attention that he drew, thus creating opportunities for others in the passing game. This was clear as day on what ended up being an interception from Rodgers, but it was a beautifully designed play where several defenders followed Watson across the field, leaving Lazard wide open, who was heading the other direction. In general, there was also all that room underneath because of how the Rams were defending Green Bay — which again, can in part be attributed to Watson — but he also helped create some of that space as well, running deep routes.

On top of altering coverages and creating for others, Watson was able to draw two penalties that helped extend drives on plays where he beat his defender, and truthfully, it could have been more. He also threw a key block on Aaron Jones’ touchdown catch in the second half.

So no, this wasn’t another game where Watson filled the stat sheet with highlight reel plays, but his impact was certainly felt by the rest of this Green Bay Packers offense. Just look at the play of this Packers offense over the last month; he’s been a game-changer, with or without the ball.

"“Christian, he is a total team player and gives great effort,” said LaFleur after the game. “He’s a big man that can block…it was on display tonight. It really doesn’t matter, he has an impact, whether he’s getting the ball or not, because he dictates coverages as well. They were traveling Ramsey with him, which shows you the level of respect he’s gained from another staff, another team, when they take their best player on defense, and they shadow him across the field.”"