“There’s some concern” about receiver Christian Watson’s knee injury
After the Green Bay Packers’ 34-0 win on Monday Night Football over the New Orleans Saints, head coach Matt LaFleur answered a few uncomfortable questions about the health of his roster.
Receiver Christian Watson dropped out of the game with a knee injury which caused him to visit the blue medical tent, even though he was able to walk off the field under his own power. Watson then returned to the field, momentarily, before dropping out for a second time.
LaFleur stated that “there’s some concern” about Watson’s situation. Apparently, the decision to pull Watson a second time was made by the coaching staff, who didn’t feel that Watson could “play the type of football” they were expecting so they “shut it down.” According to The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman, Watson stated that he’s “hoping for the best” in the locker room after the game.
The head coach also noted that running back Josh Jacobs — who was slightly hobbled — was ready to re-enter the game vs. the Saints, but the coaching staff didn’t feel that the situation called for the back to receive carries at less than full health.
Safety Evan Williams didn’t play for the Packers today after injuring his quad in practice this week. He was listed as questionable coming into the game, but LaFleur claimed after the game that Williams will be out for “a period of time.” He hopes that the safety will be back by the time the postseason rolls around.
If Williams is out, the Packers will have to decide who they want to play in the slot moving forward. If it’s rookie Javon Bullard, who was out today, then Williams’ replacement at safety would likely be Zayne Anderson, who made his first career start tonight. If Bullard replaces Williams at safety, then that’ll mean that cornerback Keisean Nixon will be playing in the slot, assuming he’s healthy.
On a short week, Green Bay is staring down a massive game against their divisional rival Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. The only way the Packers can work their way up to the fifth seed in the NFC playoffs is by beating Minnesota. If they lose to the Vikings, they will no longer be in control of the sixth seed in the NFC, as long as the Washington Commanders beat the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football.
Hopefully, they can get a little healthier by Wednesday, which is when they’ll begin their practice prep for the Vikings.