Watkins Designated for Return from Injured Reserve

After his mandated four weeks on injured reserve, Green Bay Packers receiver Sammy Watkins returned to practice on Wednesday.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers receiver Sammy Watkins returned to practice on Wednesday. Officially, he remains on injured reserve, and the team has 21 days to add him to the 53-man man roster.

Watkins caught three passes for 93 yards, including a 55-yarder, during the Week 2 victory over the Chicago Bears. A few days later, he injured a hamstring on practice. He spent the last four weeks on injured reserve.

The injury marked the third consecutive season and fourth time in five years that Watkins has missed at least four games.

With the struggles of Green Bay’s passing game and with veteran Randall Cobb likely to miss some time with an ankle injury, the Packers could use Watkins to not only return but make an instant impact. However, speaking before practice, coach Matt LaFleur said Watkins would be “limited” at Wednesday’s practice and perhaps wouldn’t be on the field for Sunday’s game at the Washington Commanders.

“I don’t think anybody’s ready to say that he’ll be playing this week,” LaFleur said. “But when he does come back, he brings a lot to the table in terms of just the experience of being out there.”

Along with his ability to stretch the field, LaFleur is excited to use Watkins and fellow receiver Allen Watkins in tandem again. During that game against Chicago, the Packers rushed 38 times for 203 yards. In the four games without Watkins, the Packers rushed 35 times for 199 yards against New England but 65 times for 221 yards the other three games.

“He knows what to do. He plays the game really fast,” LaFleur said. “There’s not a lot of hesitation in his game. He’s extremely powerful and he helps us not only in the pass game, which is obvious to everybody, but he’s one of the best blockers I’ve been around, as well. And when you couple him with guys like Allen, that’s a pretty formidable duo on the perimeter that you don’t always get from that position.”

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers (thumb), as was the case last week, did not practice on Wednesday. Neither did receiver Randall Cobb (ankle) and lineman Jake Hanson (biceps), both of whom were injured in the loss to the Jets.

Receiver Christian Watson (hamstring) went through the pre-practice stretch but did not take part in drills. Running back Kylin Hill (knee), who remains on injured reserve, started his second week of practice.

Linebacker Krys Barnes (ankle), who like Watkins was eligible to start practicing, remains sidelined.

Six Facts About Packers-Commanders

The Green Bay Packers will face the Washington Commanders at FedEx Field on Sunday. Here are six quick-hitting notes to get you ready.

In Command

The Packers could use this blast from the past: In seven career starts against Washington, including the 2015 playoffs, Aaron Rodgers has thrown 16 touchdown passes vs. one interception, good for a 107.0 passer rating.

Under Pressure

Powered by their three first-round picks on the defensive line, the Commanders are fourth in sack rate (10.0 percent) while the Packers are fifth (9.27). On the other side of the ball, Washington is sixth in sack rate allowed (9.91 percent). Green Bay is in the middle of the pack but has allowed the second-most sacks (10) on third down.

Speaking of Third Down

These are two of the best third-down defenses in the NFL. The Packers are first in the league with a conversion rate allowed of 26.6 percent while the Commanders are third at 31.7 percent. Those powerful pass rushes are a big reason. The reason why these defenses aren’t even close to ranking in the top 10 in points allowed is first down. The Packers rank 24th with 5.92 yards allowed per play on first down while the Commanders are 31st with 7.02 yards. That sums up how the Packers allowed just 1-of-11 on third down vs. the Jets but gave up 17 points on defense, anyway.

Backup Plan

Usually, it’s good news to go against a backup quarterback. Maybe not for the Packers. Commanders starter Carson Wentz is 22nd in passer rating, 28th in yards per attempt and 30th in interception but is out after finger surgery. Taylor Heinicke will get the start. He started last year’s game at Lambeau Field. While the Packers won 24-10, Heinicke threw for 268 yards and ran for 95 more.

Three-Headed Monster

The Commanders have a three-back rotation. Rookie Brian Robinson, who missed the first four games of the season after being shot, started at Chicago on Thursday and rushed for 60 yards and one touchdown. Do-it-all Antonio Gibson topped 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns from scrimmage in each of his first two seasons. J.D. McKissic has 24 receptions after catching 80 passes in 2020. Commanders coach Ron Rivera liked the approach last week against Chicago in which Robinson brought the power to set up Gibson’s speed.

The Great/Awful Packers Pass Defense

Through six games, the Packers are No. 1 in the NFL with 164.0 passing yards allowed per game. That’s great. What’s not so great? Even after a solid week last week, the Packers are still last (or tied for last) in the NFL in completion percentage allowed (70.9 percent), interceptions (one) and passes defensed (12). Added together, the Packers are 23rd with an opponent passer rating of 97.0.

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