The Green Bay Packers kept their playoff hopes alive with a 26-20 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Christmas Day. They will look to keep things rolling this week in a big matchup against their rivals and NFC North champion, Minnesota Vikings, at Lambeau Field this weekend.
Both teams have something to play for in this game, as Minnesota still has an outside chance of earning the No. 1 seed in the NFC and is looking to hold off the San Francisco 49ers, who are making a push up the standings of their own. Green Bay will be looking to exact some revenge on the Vikings, who handed them a 23-7 loss during Week 1 of the season.
However, they could be a little short-handed when taking the field this week. Emerging rookie wide receiver Christian Watson suffered a hip injury against the Dolphins on the final drive before halftime and spent the rest of the game watching from the sidelines.
While he said that he was alright after the game and head coach Matt LaFleur labeled him as day-to-day, the most recent updates aren’t overly encouraging. Watson has missed practice on both Wednesday and Thursday, which puts his availability for Sunday afternoon in doubt.
The North Dakota State product had a career-high six catches in the first half against the Dolphins before going down with his injury. It would be a tough blow to the offense if he is unable to get out there as the Packers’ offense is also operating without a fully healthy Aaron Jones.
If Watson is unable to go, Romeo Doubs, Randall Cobb and Allen Lazard will be the top three options in the passing game. We could also see tight end Robert Tonyan get into the mix a little more.
While the news regarding Watson isn’t very encouraging, signs are pointing to Aaron Rodgers at least being under center. He suffered a knee injury when Christian Watson fell on his legs during the Dolphins game.
It is just the most recent ailment Rodgers has dealt with his season as he broke his thumb in Week 5 against the New York Giants and suffered an injury to his ribs in Week 12 against the Philadelphia Eagles. He sat out Wednesday’s practice but returned as a limited participant on Thursday, putting him in line to suit up.
