GREEN BAY – Head Coach Matt LaFleur confirmed Monday that Packers receiver Christian Watson tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee Sunday against the Bears, ending his season.
"It's a big-time loss, just his presence on the field alone," LaFleur said. "I hurt for him. I obviously hurt for our team, but more for him just because I know how much he's put into this thing."
Watson had returned on a limited basis for Sunday's game from an injury to his other knee when he went down without contact while running a route in the first half against Chicago.
LaFleur did not give any timeline on Watson's possible return in 2025, but given the extensive rehab and recovery process that accompanies ACL injuries, the start and possibly a portion of next season would be in jeopardy.
"I know he'll attack it the right way," LaFleur said. "He'll handle the adversity. It will just be a bump in the road for him, and I think he'll come back better. That's just how he is built. That's how he's wired."
In other health news as the Packers prepare for Sunday's NFC Wild Card playoff in Philadelphia, LaFleur can't be sure quarterbacks Jordan Love (elbow) and Malik Willis (thumb) won't be limited when practice resumes Wednesday, but he believes they'll be OK.
Receiver Romeo Doubs, who missed the game against the Bears due to an illness, is feeling better, while safety Zayne Anderson remains in the concussion protocol.
LaFleur wants to be optimistic about the possible return of linebacker Quay Walker (ankle) and safety Evan Williams (quadricep) this week, but neither has practiced since getting hurt, so evaluating their potential availability will take place once they're back at practice.
Costly error: LaFleur admitted the way the Packers' defense played the final play from scrimmage against the Bears was a mistake.
Chicago faced third-and-11 from its own 49-yard line with 15 seconds left and no timeouts, trailing by a point. The Packers played heavy outside leverage on the receivers lined up to both sides so nobody could get out of bounds, which was appropriate, but three defenders were lined up more than 20 yards off the line of scrimmage, leaving no one in the middle of the field guarding the first-down line.
Any tackle short of the first down would've prevented the Bears from clocking the ball because it would've been fourth down. With more than 12 seconds left, there was time for them to clock it should they get the first down, and DJ Moore's slant pattern gained 18 yards to set up the walk-off field goal.
"Can't be in that call in that situation," LaFleur said. "You've just got to play a different call. I have no problem playing the outside leverage. You just need a robber or a low-hole player at the line to gain.
"Anytime that you have mistakes, you've got to own up to them. You've got to face the music, and all you can do is move on and look at yourself critically and make the necessary corrections and make sure it doesn't happen again."
Moving forward: LaFleur called Monday "the flush day" as it relates to the regular-season finale against the Bears, with the team getting through its film review and quickly moving on to preparation for the Eagles.
"That's just life in this league, because if you're living in the past you're probably not going to have a very good future," he said. "You've got to be resilient, you've got to keep turning the page and just get back to work."
The Eagles bring the NFC's No. 2 seed and a 14-3 record into Sunday's playoff matchup. Philadelphia features the NFL's leading rusher in Saquon Barkley, who racked up 2,005 yards before sitting out Week 18, while the Eagles' defense is ranked first in the league in yards allowed and second in points.
Philly surrendered more than 500 fewer yards (4,732) than the league's next-best defense, and they allowed just two more points (303) than the Los Angeles Chargers.
"We'll definitely have our work cut out for us, but I think our guys are eager for the opportunity to be into the dance," LaFleur said. "And that's kind of what I told them: We've got to maximize the moment and we've got to make sure that our prep's on point, that our process is on point, so we can go out there and give our best effort."
