Getty Jaylon Jones of the Chicago Bears is called for pass interference against Christian Watson of the Green Bay Packers during the fourth quarter at Soldier Field on December 04, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
Green Bay Packers fans may be witnessing the birth of the team’s next transcendent weapon in real time.
Wide receiver Christian Watson has been a revelation over the last four weeks, touching the ball a total of 17 times and scoring eight touchdowns during that stretch. He added the last two on Sunday, December 4, in a must-win road game for Green Bay against the Chicago Bears.
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers spoke to his rookie wideout’s meteoric ascension and the rarity such a progression is in a league as talented and physical as the NFL.
“He’s playing really, really well. He’s catching the ball all the time now,” Rodgers said of Watson. “I wouldn’t say the technique has really changed a whole lot. But as a former receiver used to say, with an odd catching style, ‘Results.’ He’s made a lot of catches. He hasn’t dropped anything, so that’s been good.”
The quarterback added that in all his time in the NFL, which is encroaching on two decades, he can’t recall a player with a similar trajectory to that of Watson.
“The way Christian has developed, you definitely gotta feel good organizationally with his development,” Rodgers continued. “It’s a rapid, wild development and it’s hard to think about another player who goes from being kind of a here and there, minimal production [guy] to a go-to type player, a home run player.”
“Pretty special.”
Watson Humble, Hungry to Build Toward Success and Chemistry With Rodgers
GettyQuarterback Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers celebrates after a successful two-point conversion against the Chicago Bears during a game at Soldier Field on December 4, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Watson also spoke to the media following Sunday’s win in Chicago and discussed what it’s been like to go from hearing whispers that he might be a bust as a high second-round draft pick who Green Bay traded up to get to now being considered one of the NFL’s fastest rising stars.
“I’m going to be critical of myself, even with the win,” Watson said. “I want to play better. I want to be the best, so I expect more from myself.”
Even still, Watson admitted he does consider himself unstoppable at times on the field.
“I think that’s my mindset for sure. That’s the mentality that everyone has to have when they’re out there,” Watson said. “To be honest, if I see nothing in front of me, I know it’s looking pretty good.”
The rookie wideout also spoke to the improved chemistry he’s been building with his quarterback over the last month.
“I think the more reps I get with [Rodgers], the better that chemistry gets,” Watson explained. “I’ve got a ways to go personally in terms of getting to the level that I want to be at to be able to connect with [Rodgers] even more, but it’s just a work in progress.”
Watson’s Breakout Stretch Has Packers Fans Wondering ‘What If?’
GettyWide receiver Christian Watson of the Green Bay Packers celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans during a game at Lambeau Field on November 17, 2022 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
It’s not just tempting, but easy to wonder “what if?” when it comes to the injuries Watson suffered leading up to, and during, the season.
The receiver missed much of the preseason after undergoing knee surgery. Various ankle, hamstring and head injuries have hampered Watson during the year and were responsible for the Packers holding him out of three of the team’s first seven games.
Watson broke out against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 10, scoring three touchdowns. Over his four most recent games, the wideout has caught 15 passes on 26 targets for 313 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns, per Pro Football Reference. Watson also carried the ball once over that stretch, a 46-yard jet sweep against the Bears that he took to the house Sunday.
Reporters asked both Rodgers and Watson the “what if?” question Sunday afternoon, as it pertains to what Green Bay’s season might look like now had Watson been ready to play this way from the start.
Rodgers responded that such questions are a game he doesn’t much like to play, while Watson simply said there’s no way for him to predict any of that, adding he would continue to trust “God’s plan” for his career moving forward.
The Packers head into their bye week before returning to Lambeau Field on December 19 to face the Los Angeles Rams.