Packer Central

Watch: Packers WR Christian Watson Practices

Here’s a taste of Green Bay Packers practice on Wednesday, with the home opener against the New Orleans Saints set for Sunday.

Bill Huber

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GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers’ shorthanded offense could get a key addition for Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints.

Big-play receiver Christian Watson, who missed the first two games with a hamstring injury, was limited participation on Wednesday. Watson didn’t do much – in fact, everything he did during the media-viewing period is documented in the associated video – but it at least is a step in the right direction with the Packers getting set to face one of the top defenses in the NFL.

The Saints will provide a stiff test for the Jordan Love-led passing game. New Orleans ranks second in opponent passer rating, third in interception percentage, fourth in yards per passing attempt and seventh in sack percentage.

While it’s true New Orleans hasn’t faced a quarterback like Love after beating up on the Tennessee Titans’ Ryan Tannehill (16-of-35 passing for 198 yards and three interceptions) and the Carolina Panthers’ rookie Bryce Young (22-of-33 passing for 153 yards with one late touchdown), Love hasn’t faced a defense like the Saints, who are on a historic run.

The Saints are 2-0. The Packers should have been, as well, but blew a 24-12 lead in a 25-24 loss at the Atlanta Falcons.

“That film was tough to watch because there were a lot of opportunities out there for us,” coach Matt LaFleur said on Monday. “I’m not trying to take any credit away from Atlanta. They did what they needed to do to beat us. But I just have a confidence in the guys in that locker room that we’ve got to make some of these plays that are out there for us to make.”

Despite the loss, the Packers are in a good spot in the NFC North. Green Bay and Detroit are 1-1 while Minnesota and Chicago are 0-2.

The Packers lead the series 17-10, including 10-3 on the home turf and 3-0 in home openers. Love made his NFL debut against the Saints in their Week 1 matchup in Jacksonville in 2021.

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.

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