In the history of the Dallas Cowboys, which goes back to 1960, only two rookie receivers have ever dominated Dallas’ defense with three touchdowns. On Thanksgiving Day, 1998, a young Minnesota Vikings receiver who was VERY unhappy that the Cowboys didn’t draft him, and wanted revenge, went off for three catches on eight targets, 153 yards, and those three scores.
That young receiver was Randy Moss, whose name you may know.
The second rookie receiver to do that against the Cowboys did it last Sunday. That was second-round pick Christian Watson, the toolsy receiver from North Dakota State whose inaugural NFL campaign had been the personification of boom-or-bust before Week 10.
Watson also became the fourth Packers rookie with three receiving touchdowns in a game, joining Billy Howton in 1952, unlikely Super Bowl I hero Max McGee in 1954, and James Lofton in 1978.
Both Moss and Lofton are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and while we’re a couple (hundred) good games from projecting Watson to that level, Watson’s game might have saved the Packers’ season, and the combination of traits and awareness he showed in the win might be the thing that projects the Packers forward to an unlikely postseason appearance.
Coach all pumped saying to Christian Watson “I TOLD YOU, I TOLD YOU, LET’S GO, LET’S GO” at the 40-second mark has me JACKED!!!
😤😤😤
— Rob Westerman lll (@robwesterman3) November 16, 2022
It’s not impossible for the Packers, who stand at 4-6 after that 31-28 win over Dallas, to trend decidedly in the right direction. The 2016 Packers were 4-6 following a 42-24 Week 11 loss to Washington. They then rolled off eight straight wins before losing to the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship game. One reason for that late hot streak was third-year receiver Davante Adams, who started to become a target monster as that season progressed. Yes, another second-round guy from a smaller school (Fresno State) paid off when he was most needed.
Again, we’re not saying that Watson is ready to take the mantle of two Hall of Famers in Moss and Lofton, and the Packers’ most gifted receiver of this era in Adams, but what Watson showed in the Cowboys game after inconsistencies and injuries surely does bode well for the future.