The Green Bay Packers suffered a deflating loss on Sunday afternoon, and it extended beyond the 34-26 defeat to the Denver Broncos. The Packers suffered several major injuries on Sunday, including the loss of wide receiver Christian Watson.
Watson left Sunday’s game during the third quarter and did not return after suffering a chest injury. As one of the top weapons on Green Bay’s offense since his return from a torn ACL suffered in last year’s season finale, losing Watson could have been a fatal blow to the Packers’ Super Bowl hopes. Thankfully, though, it appears the injury wasn’t as bad as it seemed.
ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reported on Monday morning that while Watson went to the hospital for a CT scan, it was a precaution, and the WR did not have an issue with his lungs. In addition, Demovsky said Watson does not have a long-term injury, and his status against the Bears will be determined later in the week.
The Watson news is a big win for the Packers despite the other injuries that surfaced on Monday and could help them stay afloat as they travel to face the division-leading Bears in Week 16.
Christian Watson Injury Update Brings Much-Needed Relief to Packers
The Packers are welcoming this news after suffering multiple injuries on Sunday. Micah Parsons left the game after a non-contact injury moments after Watson went down, and it is feared that he has a torn ACL, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Focus. The Packers also lost Zach Tom, Quay Walker, and Evan Williams during the game, which contributed to the loss in Denver.
While the Packers aren’t completely out of the woods, Watson’s status is great news. The 26-year-old has 28 catches for 481 yards and five touchdowns since returning from injury in an Oct. 26 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers and had scored a touchdown in three of his previous four games before the loss to the Broncos.
The Packers are deep at the receiver position with the return of Jayden Reed and other capable targets, including Matthew Golden, Dontayvious Wicks, and Bo Melton. But Watson added an explosive element that Green Bay has struggled to find over the course of the season.
This is important considering where the Packers sit in the standings following Sunday’s loss. After entering the game as the No. 2 seed in the NFC with a chance to claim the top spot in the conference if the Los Angeles Rams had lost to the Detroit Lions, the Packers fell all the way to seventh, seemingly fighting the Lions for the final playoff spot in the last three weeks.
In addition, the Bears are now where the Packers were entering Sunday, giving Green Bay a massive game on Saturday afternoon. If Green Bay wins, they’ll have a head-to-head tiebreaker over Chicago in the race for the division title. If they lose, the Packers would need to win out, and Chicago would need to lose out for Green Bay to win the NFC North.
That task is much easier with Watson on the field and Monday’s news was one step closer toward making that a possibility.