It appears that Watson avoided a major injury
When he met with the press on Tuesday, Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur dropped some positive news about the status of receiver Christian Watson, who dropped out versus the New Orleans Saints in the Packers’ Monday Night Football victory.
LaFleur stated that the Green Bay speedster could “potentially” play against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, saying that the receiver’s injury is “more just a bruise” than any sort of long-term injury. A defender landed on Watson’s leg last night, leading to him limping off of the field and entering the blue medical tent. He did re-enter the game, but the coaching staff pulled him because Watson wasn’t able to “play the type of football” that the team expected him to when he returned to the field.
Last night, LaFleur claimed that there was “some concern” about Watson’s status, so this is a pretty significant change in tone. The head coach noted that Watson has “still gotta be able to function” at a high level to return to the field, but the Packers are at least optimistic about the injury.
Meanwhile, Green Bay is expected to miss safety Evan Williams (quad) for “a period of time.” On Monday, LaFleur stated that his hope is that the rookie can return to the field by the postseason.
The Packers have a short turnaround this week, as they’ll begin their three-day practice period tomorrow. Keep an eye out on the statuses of Watson, Williams, slotback Javon Bullard (ankle), cornerback Jaire Alexander (knee) and middle linebacker Quay Walker (ankle), as Green Bay is looking to bring back as many key contributors to the field for their divisional battle against the Minnesota Vikings.