The Green Bay Packers lost a difficult game on Monday to the struggling New York Giants, 24-22, on a last-second field goal, throwing a monkey wrench into their hopes of making the playoffs.
The Packers fell victim to another strong performance from Tommy DeVito, the Giants’ new starting quarterback, while Packers signal-caller Jordan Love had a weak game after a string of promising outings from the first-time starter. With a 6-7 record, they’re still in the hunt for a wild-card playoff spot, as they’re in seventh place in the NFC, but they have almost no margin for error.
One issue for the Packers is that they’re relying on a number of very young and unproven wide receivers. Bringing in a veteran right now would be helpful as they look to return to the postseason after not making it there last season.
Bleacher Report suggested Green Bay bring in veteran wideout Sammy Watkins.
“Christian Watson suffered a hamstring injury against the Kansas City Chiefs last week, and the timeline for his return remains unclear.
“… It could be good to have a veteran wideout on hand for the late-season playoff push, and Watkins has a similar profile to Watson as a bigger receiver who can win down the field. The nine-year pro spent a good portion of the 2022 campaign in Green Bay, meaning he should have some familiarity/chemistry with Jordan Love.”
Watkins entered the NFL as the No. 4 pick in the 2014 draft, and while he has never made the Pro Bowl, he has accumulated 5,384 yards and 34 touchdowns in 111 career games.
He has gone unsigned ever since becoming a free agent in March, but as Bleacher Report alluded to, he played nine games for the Packers in 2022, so he should know, at least to some extent, head coach Matt LaFleur’s offense.
Right now, the team ranks fifth in passing touchdowns but is only 17th in points per game and 18th in passing yards. Love has clearly shown his potential of late, and it is of the utmost importance for a young QB such as him to have reliable and experienced playmakers to help him develop.
Green Bay will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers, Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears to close out the regular season. While that is a relatively manageable schedule, a little outside help would clearly assist it in getting through this final portion of its schedule.
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