Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson had his breakout performance of the 2023 season on Thanksgiving Day against the Detroit Lions.
Five catches, 94 yards and a huge 16-yard touchdown in the second half that ended up representing the game-winning points. And it could have been so much more. In fact, Watson was this close to producing his own Randy Moss Thanksgiving moment.
Let’s run through it.
On the first play, Jordan Love underthrew Watson on what had a chance to be a 75-yard touchdown. It ended up being a 53-yard contested catch.
On 3rd-and-4 from the 24-yard line in the second quarter, Watson fell to the ground while making a full-speed turn on an out-breaking route. He appeared to get hooked by the defender, and officials ruled Watson’s feet got “tangled” with the cornerback. Without the (potentially illegal) contact, Watson had a legitimate chance to make a catch on the run and score a 24-yard touchdown. Instead, the Packers kicked a field goal.
On 3rd-and-10 with 2:59 left in the fourth quarter, Love dealt with immediate pressure up the middle and couldn’t get enough on his deep throw to Watson, who was behind the coverage again. With better protection and throw, Watson almost certainly scores a 42-yard dagger touchdown.
So, two underthrows and a questionable non-penalty call took away almost 100 receiving yards and potentially three more touchdowns.
Do the math. Add another 22 yards and a touchdown on the first play. Add 24 yards and a touchdown on the “tangled” play. Add 42 more yards and a touchdown on the missed dagger.
If all those had hit, Watson would have finished with the game with seven catches, 182 yards and four touchdowns.
The numbers really aren’t the point. Instead, it’s to highlight how great Watson was in a huge win for Matt LaFleur and the Packers.
Watson’s five catches were still huge. He opened the game with a bang, setting up a touchdown. He made a difficult catch along the sideline to convert 3rd-and-8 on the second drive, continuing a touchdown drive. And then he all but put the game away with a tremendous catch on a slot fade for a 16-yard touchdown in the second half. He finished with three contested catches and a 153.3 passer rating when targeted.
When Watson is on and creating big plays, the entire Packers offense changes. Defenses have to respect vertical routes, leaving Love open to attack intermediate areas of the field. And any one-on-one opportunities for Watson is a chance for a game-changing play.
Last season, Watson broke out with three touchdowns in a big win over the Dallas Cowboys on Nov. 13. He delivered his breakout performance of 2023 — and came close to another multi-touchdown finish — during an upset win over the Lions on Nov. 23.