Feeding Christian Watson Will Boost the Packers Offense
Watson’s career-high game shows the Packers need to involve him more
By GregMeinholz
If there's one thing Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson knows well, it's patience. In seasons past, he's had to deal with the tough luck of nagging soft tissue injuries. When he was on the field, he'd show how explosive he could be, but when he was off, he'd have to deal with all the negativity that tends to surround a player with such luck. This season has been a different story though. At this time last year, Watson had missed three games and was two games away from missing the remainder of the regular season. He ended the regular season only playing nine games. This year, he's only missed one game and has played as many regular season matchups as last year with seven more to go. But, there's been a difference in production and opportunities despite his attendance.
In week 1, Christian Watson was targeted five times when the Packers faced the Eagles in Brazil. Since then, however, he wasn't even targeted five times in the three games that followed, having zero targets in week 2, two in week 3, and one in week 4. The culprit to blame? The injury to starting QB Jordan Love. With Love out, and Malik Willis at QB, Christian Watson's role suddenly switched from speedy deep threat to blocker. Instead of running routes, he found himself blocking for the run game or his fellow receivers on screens or wheel routes. And you know who didn't complain about it? Christian Watson. After all, like coach Matt LaFleur always says, "No block, no rock." Jordan Love came back in week 4 but has arguably not been the same until this past week.
With Jordan Love seeming to be back completely from injury for the first time since week 1, Watson caught all four targets that came his way reaching a career-high 150 yards receiving, and was the reason the Packers got into scoring range twice. Block equals rock, and all that blocking in the weeks prior culminated in that huge game that helped the Packers defeat the Bears. But even after that big game to silence the haters, for at least a little while, Christian Watson said, "We're out here to win football games. We're not up here to pad stats and do that, or at least, I can only speak for myself, we've got to win the football game first, but when you complement that with being able to play a big part of it, it definitely means a lot."
That team-first attitude cannot be ignored when it comes to Christian Watson. This is a player that's been through a gauntlet of criticism and he'd still rather get the W than appear on the stat sheet. Watson is a talented receiver who deserves to be rewarded for his contributions thus far, and I believe his contributions will lead to the Packers' success in the remainder of this season.
Utilizing Watson Moving Forward
We've seen it all over. Who's the Packers' number-one receiver? Do the Packers need a number-one receiver? And I think they've proven that question irrelevant. If you have a receiver that can excel in certain situations, you have it all regardless of if that receiver is the same player. Jayden Reed is kind of that play-making receiver who could take a 1-yard pass to the house from 50 yards out. Romeo Doubs is that reliable receiver who is almost a lock to hold on to the ball and keep his feet in bounds in clutch situations. And then Christian Watson is that receiver who has the potential to blow the roof off the defense with a 40+ yard snag at any given moment.
But with Watson being fourth on the team before Sunday's game in receiving by almost 150 yards, how do they involve him more? Well, the answer may actually be quite simple.
Josh Jacobs may arguably be the Packers' top offensive player so far this season. With 838 yards rushing in 10 games, and averaging 4.8 yards per attempt, defenses undoubtedly have to account for Jacobs. And about 678 of those yards were earned while Jordan Love was either not playing, or possibly not quite 100%. Last week I stated that with a fully mobile Jordan Love, the play-action game will open up. Teams will have to account for the Josh Jacobs running threat while also determining whether or not Jordan Love is going to throw it over their heads. On Sunday, two out of Watson's four catches came off play-action for a total of about 61 yards. Both catches landed the Packers inside the 10-yard line for a 1st-and-goal situation.
Over the last month, Christian Watson has led the league in creating the most separation on a minimum of 50 routes run for receivers. If Jordan Love can get safeties to bite on play-action to Josh Jacobs putting Christian Watson one-on-one with a corner on a deep route, we could see countless big plays for number 9 in the weeks to come. Love hasn't been as mobile to handle play-action as often since week 1. Now that he is, we could see that receiver with the capability to blow the roof off a defense have the chance to do so much more often.
The Packers gained credibility as a contender with a run in the back half of the 2023 season. If Christian Watson has anything to say about it, it will be more of the same in 2024.
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO OUR CHEESEHEAD NATION WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE.
__________________________
Greg Meinholz is a lifelong devoted Packer fan. A contributor to CheeseheadTV as well as PackersTalk. Follow him on Twitter @gmeinholz and Bluesky @gmeinholz.bsky.social for Packers commentary, random humor, beer endorsements, and occasional Star Wars and Marvel ramblings.
__________________________
Comments (18)
T7Steve
November 20, 2024 at 02:46 pm
Blow off the top of the D and Josh Jacobs will tear it up. Love complimentary football. I can see the Packers D being helped quite a bit from this too. Get first downs and long sustained drives ending in TDs.
This is what we've been hoping for all season. Now let's get'r done!
porupack
November 20, 2024 at 03:27 pm
Kudos. You nail a vexing issue. If Jacobs is the key offensive attack, why aren't there more opps for WRs and why Watson didn't even get targeted for 3 games? That seems inexplicable. Your description of the variation of skills in the WR corp is pretty decent...so why such a tepid passing attack? What the hell is going on with the passing game? Love's injury isn't good enough excuse. Seems coaches around the league are able to scheme a struggling QB in getting safe throws. Look what they did for the struggling Caleb WIlliams....and they game plan to get him rythmic and safe throws to get their offense on a momentum. There should be schemes for timed throws, slants. You see other teams execute them with precision. GB seems to struggle to string such plays together....and intersperse the shorts with the longs to Watson....who apparently, according to Greg gets the most separation. Go figure. I can't.
Coldworld
November 20, 2024 at 03:37 pm
Hers my thought on your questions about WR targets. It is something I’ve been pondering. LaFleur really uses 3 most of the time. They are the core of the game plan. After that it’s situational snaps or role work. Watson has been out of the top 3 like Melton.
One might think they’d have a lot of package sets with plays to their strengths and rotate them in, but in practice I don’t see that happening. For the most part the core 3 get the routes more suited to them and more likely to yield dividends.
This week, Watson was part of that top 3. We saw him in a game plan that was partly tailored to his strengths. The result was a whole different level of performance. It’s not the true situational rotating I hoped for going into the season, and I think we saw how that holds the team back if we stick with underperformance and holds individual players back if they aren’t integral that week.
Just my interpretation of what I see.
stockholder
November 20, 2024 at 05:16 pm
What I see is a guy who isn't a Bust.
As you predicted.
Coldworld
November 20, 2024 at 05:50 pm
I did not predict he was a bust. I predicted that he had a lot of raw talent but a long way to climb to learn the intricacies of being a receiver, starting with a route tree that was not just being schemed in space and crossers, let alone the details of precise routes. In college he was simply bigger and faster and they just let him be that. He did know how to block.
I was pushing him as a late rounder developmental prospect early on in January, before the draft process started, before you or anyone else mentioned him, but later resistant to him being a fist rounder because, despite his high ceiling, it was as yet a long way above him.
He’s still not the finished article, but perhaps we now see him starting to expand and refine his route skills. It’s up to him to work at it. If he does, he’s got plenty of upside yet to fulfil.
stockholder
November 20, 2024 at 06:24 pm
You predicted Janis = Bust
LOL- Most predicted Adams to be a bust too.
Oppy
November 20, 2024 at 06:32 pm
Janis? Like Jeff Janis? He certainly wasn't good. Are you talking about Giannis Antetokounmpo? Or Janis?
Also, very few people predicted Adams would be a bust. Only people who don't understand the difference between injury and lack of talent. Or people who somehow don't understand that run after the catch yards is a greater indication of receiver talent than the number of yards the ball travels in the air before the WR catches it.
splitpea1
November 20, 2024 at 03:48 pm
If Watson is going to get open on an array of routes, catch the ball in traffic, and provide big YAC, then four opportunities doesn't seem to be enough. But we also have the luxury of other receiving play-makers, so you want to get them involved, too (like Kraft, who played 43 snaps against the Bears with only one overthrown chance). Watson is most impactful in space with crossing routes, go routes, and slants, so here's where he should get the majority of his opportunities.
Also I think it was a smart decision by MLF to stop using him on jet sweeps.
MitchAnthony
November 20, 2024 at 06:00 pm
Enough of anyone on jet sweeps. For a while anyway. It ain't been fooling any other teams now for several games.
Oppy
November 20, 2024 at 06:09 pm
I have two questions:
1) What does being mobile have to do with executing play action?
2) Can you provide a reference / link for the stat about most separation per route run over the last month? It is mighty surprising to me that we haven't been reading about all the missed opportunities for wide open Watson. Not saying it isn't a fact, just genuinely interested in the source.
GregC
November 21, 2024 at 11:59 am
To answer your first question: When Jordan Love was playing hurt, he played in the shotgun almost all the time so he wouldn't have to be constantly dropping back to pass. Play action doesn't really work from the shotgun, if you even bother to try it, because the defense is already expecting pass and/or the run is easier to defend when it comes out of that formation.
Oppy
November 20, 2024 at 06:25 pm
Completely off topic, but I was in Nashville over the weekend and thought I'd report on the local watering hole where I watched the Packers-Bears game.
"The Scoreboard" bar & grill, in East Nashville.
Legitimate Packers bar, they're doing it right. Rooftop has multiple TVs, two bars, and ample seating for, I'd guess, 300 or so if they needed it. Whole thing can be "zipped up" to enclose and they have large heaters to keep it comfy if the thermometer reading requires it. This is dedicated for Packers games on sundays.
I'd estimate roughly 150 or so were in attendance. These are patrons purely there for the Packers. They had a pot luck with Brats and such. They had raffle tickets ("come up and grab a raffle ticket, let us know where you're from!"). They had an emcee who playfully called out the handful of bears fans in attendance ("Keep an eye on that guy!"). They really did it right overall. My cohort who calls Chicago home and typically takes up residency at Will's Northwoods for games said he thinks the Scoreboard might actually have been a better set up. For what it's worth, there were numerous WI residence in attendance- Muskego, Peshtigo, Ashland, Waukesha, Milwaukee, Oshkosh, and on and on, as called out over the PA during the raffle.
SO.. if you're in Nashville over a weekend on business or pleasure and you need a place to watch the game, I can heartily recommend the Scoreboard.
Leatherhead
November 20, 2024 at 07:15 pm
Watson is good at what he's good at: Making opponents cover him deep. He might catch it, he might not...it's about 50/50. When he catches it or draws a penalty, it's a big play. In the meantime, his presence creates more room for the other guys. He's also a solid blocker. I don't know if we'll ever see him reach his ceiling, but he helps the team when he's on the field.
This is not disrespect towards Wicks, or Melton,or Heath, but they just don't bring as much to the table...right now...as Watson. I hope he can stay healthy for another 10 games.
Oppy
November 21, 2024 at 08:58 am
If Wicks gets his hands issue figured out, he's going to take off like a rocket. That young man has a lot of tools.
LuvPack
November 21, 2024 at 05:21 pm
#9 is good at lots of positives when he's on the field - whether as a receiver or blocking on the play that's called. Impressive to see him as a 'lead' blocker and the first one to 'high five' whomever makes the play work! Gotta love Watson's contribution as an unselfish team player! Hope sky's the limit for him as a Packer!
Savage57
November 21, 2024 at 04:03 am
Matt needs to get in the Wayback Machine, revisit MM's play book and dust off the up-out-and-in Jordy used to run between the CB and deep Safety for a shit ton of 50+ yard TD passes from AR.
It would be a hand-in-glove fit for Watson and Love and take advantage of his flat out speed.
Not White Chocolate, be more like Light Chocolate.
Green Bay Shareholder
November 21, 2024 at 11:40 am
All we need now is to figure out how to have Watson catch TD passes in the Red Zone and we will have a winning formula -or any other wide receiver for that matter !
SicSemperTyrannis
November 22, 2024 at 04:58 am
I love me some Christian Watson! He's our # 1 WR as a deep threat. #11 should be who JL10 looks for first, and just go there if possible; good things happen when you do. Except for those times when a (slightly) longer developing play becomes high probability with the connection between #9 & 10 being HOT.
Yes this offense can STILL win, and frankly they can beat anybody if they play their best and so does MLF.