Monday night was almost perfect for the Green Bay Packers with a 34-0 win over the New Orleans Saints and clinching a playoff spot. The only exception was the concern regarding wide receiver Christian Watson, who left the game early with a knee injury. Well, it wasn’t that serious after all.
Watson had tests on Tuesday morning, and head coach Matt LaFleur said they came back clean.
“We got good news on him. More just of a bruise,” LaFleur explained. “It was when the guy fell on him on the sideline. He’s still gotta be able to function, so we’ll see how he practices this week and see where we’re at.”
It’s a short week for the Packers, so the team will have to work through the Christmas holiday.
Christian Watson has a shot at playing against the Vikings, but as LaFleur said, it will depend on how his knee responds during the week. Anyway, it’s not a long-term issue, so he will be back before the postseason arrives.
The first injury report comes on Wednesday, and it’s when the external public will have a better sense of what will happen on Sunday. The injury designation is released on Friday.
The Packers have clinched a playoff spot, but can’t win the NFC North anymore. So the last two regular season games, against the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears, will only matter for seeding purposes.
On Monday, Watson didn’t have a single reception. But he did have two rushes for 23 yards. This season, the former second-round pick has had 29 receptions for 620 yards and two touchdowns.