'Phenomenal' outing by Packers' Christian Watson reminds everyone what he can do

CHICAGO — The hat Christian Watson wore as he left the visitor’s locker room at Soldier Field on Sunday had two words stitched into it: Mea Culpa.

It could have served as a message for a slow start to the season by the Green Bay Packers‘ receiver, who came into Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears with only 16 catches for 233 yards and two touchdowns. He did not have a game with more than four catches. Nor did he have a game with more than 68 yards receiving.

Except the hat had nothing to do with any of that.

Watson simply saw teammate Jayden Reed with one on earlier in the season, so he bought one from Amazon.

“Does it say something bad?” Watson said when asked if he was making a statement with his hat. “Maybe I should do some more research before I put some stuff on. I think I saw J. Reed wearing it once so I stole his swag.”

Watson need not apologize for any lack of production after Sunday’s performance in the Packers’ 20-19 win over the Bears. While they won the game because defensive lineman Karl Brooks blocked a 46-yard field goal attempt on the game’s final play, they put themselves into the lead in large part because of Watson.

His final line: Four catches for 150 yards.

His impact: Monumental.

To the point where coach Matt LaFleur’s response to a question about Watson’s big play was: “Which one are you talking about?”

It was about the 60-yard catch-and-run that helped set up the go-ahead touchdown (a Jordan Love 1-yards sneak with 2:59 remaining), a play in which Watson made a rolling catch at the Packers’ 45-yard line after cornerback Jaylon Johnson slipped in coverage. Watson quickly realized that despite going to the ground to make the catch, which survived a Bears challenge, that he had gone untouched. He got up and ran all the way to the Bears’ 14-yard line.

“Phenomenal play, phenomenal catch by Christian, and then just obviously the awareness to get up, not being touched and to go put together a huge run,” Love said. “I think Christian made some big-time plays in the game, had a couple big-time catches, and I’m proud of the way he balled out.”

Earlier, there was a 17-yard tight-window throw that Watson caught on third-and-11 in the second quarter, but that drive ended with Love’s 11th interception of the season, tying his total from all of last season. Then there was a 25-yard fade in the third quarter to set up a Josh Jacobs rushing touchdown, followed by a 48-yard deep ball into double coverage that Love will probably receive a minus grade on from the coaches because the safer play would have been a wide-open Tucker Kraft.

In all, Love completed all six of his passes on throws that traveled 15 or more yards downfield in the air, the first time in his career he’s been perfect on such throws, according to ESPN Research. Count all of four Watson’s catches among them.

“Obviously, a focus for us coming into this week was to try to keep getting him the ball, getting him some touches,” Love said. “Definitely a guy that we feel like we can keep trying to get him the ball and give him some of those opps down the field, and obviously when we do, he had a really big catch, a contested catch, and went up and made a play. So I think it was a big-time day for him.”

One of Watson’s goals this season was to stay healthy after hamstring injuries plagued him in his first two NFL seasons. He has missed one game, but it was because of a severely sprained ankle that some thought would sideline him for several weeks.

Whatever statistical goals he had in mind had to be beyond what he had coming into Sunday’s game. Yet no one would know it.

“I mean, it’s been a little tough just in terms of me and my individual goals, but I mean as cliché as it sounds, I’m always going to put the team goals first,” Watson said. “We played some good football and some not-so-good football at times, but we’re right where we want to be at as a team. So I’m just going to continue to do my part, and if it’s opportunities like today, I’m going try to do my best to make those plays. If it’s opportunities elsewhere, in the run game or whatnot, I’m going to make those plays too.”

Days like Sunday might not be the norm for Watson, considering how many weapons the Packers have, such as Jacobs, Reed, Romeo Doubs, Kraft, et al. But at least the Packers know Watson can come through if needed.

“It’s so hard to name who is gonna be the guy that day,” said Jacobs, who had 134 total yards from scrimmage on 18 carries plus four catches. “And so to be able to see him be as good as he is, but also as humble as he is. And never complains about whether he’s getting catches or anything like that.

“He just goes out there and plays his best, so I think it’s much respect from me because it’s easy to sink into that. So he definitely got my respect.”