The Green Bay Packers' next game on the schedule is a Sunday Night Football showdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers and former quarterback Aaron Rodgers. That's a primetime bout with superstar names driving the conversation, which certainly played into veteran receiver Christian Watson revealing on Wednesday that he wants this outing to mark his season debut.
While head coach Matt LaFleur met with the media ahead of Thursday's practice, he didn't provide any answer on whether Watson will play.
"That’s a great mindset to have. I want all our guys to have that mindset, but ultimately that’s going to be a medical decision," LaFleur stated, per ESPN's Rob Demovsky.
With Watson's status still uncertain, Green Bay would be wise to hold him out one more week, given that they'll be playing on a field that isn't held in the highest regard by players around the league.
Packers Shouldn’t Play Christian Watson in Week 8 Despite His Wishes
Acrisure Stadium has been in hot water all season long, and it's not something that will change this weekend either. Following Pittsburgh's 23-9 win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 6, members of both teams reached out to the players' union and "expressed their outrage about the embarrassing field conditions at Acrisure Stadium.”
The bashing of the playing surface continued as Steelers CB Darius Slay admitted during an appearance on The Richard Sherman Podcast that he loves everything about the Steel City, but fell short of praising the field that Pittsburgh plays its home games on.
"I love everything about Pittsburgh, but boy, that field is a little something else."Darius Slay
The University of Pittsburgh's football team also plays its home games at Acrisure Stadium, which has been used as a reason for the bad field conditions. In the Steelers' win over the Cleveland, Chris Boswell slipped on the turf as he attempted and missed a fourth-quarter field goal. Pittsburgh also lost Miles Killebrew to a "significant" non-contact knee injury after he planted on the turf.
The field is subpar; this much is clear. That alone is a big enough reason why the Packers shouldn't trot Watson out there. The veteran has yet to play since he tore his ACL, and his first game of the season shouldn't be on a surface like that.
Granted, the Packers opened his 21-day practice window on Oct. 6, so they should absolutely elevate him to the active roster so they can have him for the remainder of the 2025 season. However, considering he's been a quality deep threat since setting foot in Green Bay, holding him out for one more week seems like the best and safest approach.
Of course, Watson is going to push to play, but the team needs to protect the player from himself. And this is the exact situation that calls for it. Returning in Week 9 at home against the Carolina Panthers looks like the ideal spot for Watson to make his 2025 debut.