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The Green Bay Packers desperately needed a win in Week 10 to end their five-game losing streak, and rookie wide receiver Christian Watson had such an impressive breakout game that fans were ready to start comparing him to one of the all-time greats at the position.
In a dramatic contest, the Packers took down the Dallas Cowboys 31-28 in overtime thanks to a game-winning field goal from Mason Crosby. It was the best outing offensively for the Packers all season, in large part thanks to Watson, who finally had his breakout outing.
With just four receptions in the game, Watson managed to rack up 107 yards and three touchdowns. According to NFL Research, Watson was just the second rookie ever to score three times against the Cowboys, with the other being Hall of Fame receiver Randy Moss on Thanksgiving Day in 1998, when he had three receptions for 163 yards and three scores.
Packers fans didn’t hesitate to run with that stat as soon as they saw it.
“Christian Watson is Randy Moss 2.0, confirmed,” one fan tweeted.
“Christian Watson > Randy Moss,” another fan shared, while also adding a GIF or the rookie’s impressive standing backflip he pulled off after his first touchdown of the game against Dallas.
“Christian ‘Jerry Rice and Randy Moss hybrid’ Watson,” another fan joked.
It’s obviously an overreaction to compare the rookie to one of the greatest wide receivers to ever play the game, but fans were just relieved to see their second-round pick finally show what he can bring to Green Bay’s passing game.
Christian Watson Has Been Waiting for His Breakout Game
It may have taken ten games for him to get here, but Watson has had the skill set to show off this kind of performance before he even stepped foot in Green Bay.
Coming out of high school in Tampa, Florida, Watson was only a 2-star recruit with virtually no interest from college football programs. However, the FCS powerhouse North Dakota State took an interest in Watson, and he made a name for himself with the Bison.
During his time at North Dakota State, Watson was a four-time national champion and two-time All-American. He averaged 20.4 yards per reception during his college career, racking up 2,140 yards and 14 touchdowns through the air, adding another 392 yards and two scores on the ground.
Listed at 6’4″ and 208 pounds, Watson turned heads during the pre-draft process with some excellent athletic testing. His Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 9.96 out of 10 ranked 12th all-time out of 2,768 wide receivers ever recorded, showcasing just how elite of an athlete he was.
That size and athleticism helped Watson go 34th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft, with the Packers trading two second-round picks to move up and take him. While he NFL career got off to a slow start after a drop in his first NFL snap and then multiple injuries, he finally showed what he can bring to an offense with a massive performance in Week 10.
Christian Watson Draws Widespread Praise
After a game like he had, Watson got shoutouts from just about everyone in the postgame press conferences.
Aaron Rodgers praised the rookie wideout after the game, talking about how proud he was of the young receiver, especially after dropping a pair of passes early in the first quarter. Head coach Matt LaFleur praised Watson for his resiliency as well, shaking of the drops to pull off a three-touchdown performance.
Even Cowboys superstar pass rusher Micah Parsons talked about Watson after the game. He admitted that he’s a huge fan of the rookie wide receiver, and that he even plays with Watson in Madden.
It’s just one game, but if Watson can build on his breakout performance, then he could wind up becoming the next star receiver for the Packers.
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