Packers’ Watson builds connection with QB Love
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Christian Watson is having a breakout season for the Green Bay Packers now that he’s finally healthy.
The fifth-year wide receiver already has six touchdown catches in five games along with 474 yards receiving. He’s 16 receptions, 147 yards and two TDs away from setting career highs in all three categories.
“Honestly, just kind of going out there and playing ball,” Watson said on the AP’s “Football Unfiltered” podcast. “I don’t think that I’ve been doing anything too different. I think that we just got kind of those banked reps and just the connection and the relationship and trust that me and J-Love (Jordan Love) have built over these past couple of years. I feel like getting a full offseason of being healthy and getting those banked reps has just allowed us to just go out there and execute.”
A second-round pick out of North Dakota State in 2022, Watson has shown potential to be a No. 1 wideout but has dealt with injuries and setbacks.
He missed a few games because of a concussion as a rookie and hamstring issues limited him to nine games in 2023. He played in 15 games in 2024 but tore his ACL on the final day of the regular season and missed the playoffs. That injury caused Watson to miss the first six games in 2025.
“The main thing for me was just the amount of confidence that I have in myself, honestly,” Watson said about overcoming adversity. “I felt like coming back from those things, and just coming back with the same level of confidence that I had when I was 100% healthy before the injury, I felt like that was huge and helping me play.”
He’s built quite a connection with Love.
“I just enjoy how much trust and confidence that he has in everybody,” Watson said. “His level of confidence instills another level of confidence for me. … Because you know he is gonna put the ball out there for me to get it. If I make a bad play, he’s still gonna come back and still have that same level of confidence.”
The Packers (3-2) are coming off an impressive 31-7 rout over Chicago heading into a Sunday night game against the Dallas Cowboys (2-3). They’ll face a team that’s struggled on defense and has some injuries in the secondary.
“We just gotta continue to find that growth, have that same mindset going into the game,” Watson said.
Matchup to watch
Cowboys passing game vs. Packers pass defense: Green Bay has seven interceptions while allowing only six touchdown passes this season, but the Packers haven't faced any quarterbacks of Dak Prescott's caliber. Prescott has thrown for over 275 yards in each of his last four games. Dallas has one of the NFL's top receiving duos in CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens.
Stats and stuff
-- Cowboys RB Javonte Williams has six touchdown runs to rank fourth in the league, behind Buffalo's Josh Allen (eight), Baltimore's Derrick Henry (seven) and Detroit's Jahmyr Gibbs (seven).
-- Pickens has 1,784 yards receiving since the start of the 2025 season. The only NFL players with more during that time are Seattle's Jaxon Smith-Njigba (2,376) and the Los Angeles Rams' Puka Nacua (2,052).
-- Green Bay has won 10 of its last 12 meetings with Dallas, including regular-season and playoff matchups. Dallas' only win during that stretch was a 30-16 victory at Lambeau Field on Oct. 16, 2016.
-- The Packers have won their last nine October games.
-- Love has thrown at least two touchdown passes in each of the Packers' first five games. He has passed for more than 300 yards three times this season.
-- Packers S Xavier McKinney has three interceptions to tie Minnesota's Byron Murphy Jr. for the NFL lead. McKinney picked off two passes in the Bears game.