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Health is a big part of a successful run late in an NFL season, and the Green Bay Packers have some more reasons to be concerned despite a dominant 34-0 win over the New Orleans Saints. Wide receiver Christian Watson left the game early with a knee injury.
He tried to return, but wasn’t able to finish the game. Watson himself said in the locker room he is “hoping for the best” and will have tests on Tuesday.
Head coach Matt LaFleur admitted the situation brings some level of concern.
“There’s some concern there, definitely,” LaFleur said. “We’re gonna get more testing done tomorrow, hopefully we’ll have an answer for you tomorrow.”
Watson did not have a single catch in the game, but he did have two rushes for 23 yards. In the second one, a Saints defensive back rolled over his knee. He left the field and went to the medical tent, but was able to return — which is probably a good sign for his future availability this season.
Defenders
Matt LaFleur also talked about two defensive players who missed Monday’s game. Regarding cornerback Jaire Alexander, they feel like he’s not fully ready to go yet. Safety Evan Williams injured his quad during Saturday’s practice and will miss time, but LaFleur hopes he can return in time for the postseason.
“I would think he’s going to be out a period of time,” the head coach pointed out. “Nothing like long term. It’s just one of those deals, it’s unfortunate. I think it happened on the first play of practice.”
Now, the Packers have clinched a playoff spot, and it will be a wild card spot since the team is out of the NFC North title race. However, the final two games, against the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears, are still valuable for seeding — the Packers can finish it from the fifth through the seventh seed in the NFC.