Christian Watson, Keys to Packers Turning Season Around After Cowboys Win
The Green Bay Packers went one month and 11 days without a victory.
Aaron Rodgers and Co. finally ended their losing streak on Sunday with a come-from-behind win over the Dallas Cowboys.
The win featured the breakout performance from Christian Watson that everyone was waiting for and it provided hope that the second half of the regular season could bring a push toward the NFC playoff places.
Green Bay is only 1.5 games off the final wild-card position, which currently belongs to the San Francisco 49ers.
A run into the postseason is not out of the question, but the Packers need to be even better on the gridiron in the coming weeks to build off the win over the Cowboys.
The Packers start a three-game stretch on Thursday that features matchups with the Tennessee Titans, Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears.
Green Bay needs to go 2-1 in that run of games before the Week 14 bye to have a legitimate shot at the postseason.
For that to happen, Watson needs to continue to play well and a few other things must be carried over from the Dallas win.
Christian Watson Continues to Look Like No. 1 Wide Receiver
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Christian Watson finally produced the breakout game of his rookie season on Sunday.
The first-year wide receiver out of North Dakota State had four catches for 107 yards and three touchdowns.
Sunday's performance escalated expectations for Watson heading into the second part of the 2022 season.
Aaron Rodgers has been looking for one of his young wideouts to step up and he finally got an answer to that problem with Watson on Sunday.
Watson had not had over 40 receiving yards in a single game before Sunday. He needs to find a way to be more consistent to expand the Green Bay passing attack against other playoff contenders, especially in the next two weeks.
If Watson builds on his career performance, Rodgers could have him, Allen Lazard and Robert Tonyan to work with in the aerial attack, plus Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon out of the backfield.
That would make the quarterback feel much better than just relying on Lazard and Randall Cobb, when he is healthy, because there is no trust in the younger wideouts.
Watson does not need another 100-yard game on Thursday night, but he needs at least to be involved in a handful of passing plays to gain more confidence going into a huge Week 12 battle with Philadelphia.
Keep Finding Success in Ground Game
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The success of the rushing attack was always going to be vital to Green Bay's success in 2022.
Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon have finally hit their stride as Rodgers builds up chemistry with Watson to bring a new wideout into the mix with Romeo Doubs out injured.
Jones ran for 138 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries, while Dillon produced 65 yards on 13 carries against the Cowboys.
Green Bay eclipsed the 200-yard mark on the ground for the third time this season and the second time in three games. The Packers set a season-best of 208 rushing yards in the road loss to the Buffalo Bills.
Jones and Dillon will be important for two reasons over the next three games. They need to match, or outgain, what Derrick Henry, Jalen Hurts and Miles Sanders and Justin Fields and David Montgomery produce.
The running back tandem also needs to achieve success to keep the dominant rushers on the other side off the field, so that Tennessee, Philadelphia and Chicago do not take up chunks of time with run-dominated drives.
Green Bay's offense could all come together at once and lead to a winning run, but it also needs the defense to improve week by week.
Do Better at Containing the Top Opposing Stars
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Green Bay's defense needs to do a much better job of containing the playmakers on the opposing offenses.
On Sunday alone, the Packers allowed CeeDee Lamb to catch 11 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns. Tony Pollard also ran for 115 yards.
The Packers can't continue to give up a 100-yard rusher and receiver every week and land in the postseason.
Even if they were to land in the playoffs at that rate, they would be susceptible to a first-round exit on the road because of those flaws.
The best way for Green Bay to reverse the trend of large gainers against them is to prove it can slow down Derrick Henry on Thursday night.
The Packers allowed eight of their 10 opponents to run for 125 yards or more and a ninth foe ran for 117 yards.
Green Bay's secondary has not allowed more than 270 yards through the air in a single game, so that is a positive to keep building on for the rest of the season.
If Green Bay does not have a solid defensive performance soon, the doubts will continue to linger about whether it can contend in a postseason game, if it beats out the likes of San Francisco and Washington to earn a playoff spot.
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