Veteran wide receiver Sammy Watkins provided a spark on three different scoring drives for the Green Bay Packers during Sunday night’s 27-10 win over the Chicago Bears.
The 29-year-old caught a 14-yard pass on 2nd-and-6 to get the Packers into Bears territory on the first drive, which ended in a field goal. He caught a 24-yard pass on first down late in the first quarter to get the Packers into the red zone, and the offense eventually converted the opportunity into a touchdown. Finally, he got behind the coverage on a play-action pass and hauled in a 55-yard catch, putting the Packers in motion on a drive that ended in a victory-clinching field goal late in the fourth quarter.
“He made three really nice plays today. One got us going early in the game, one got us down in the red zone, and then, backed up, really nice call by Matt, nice tight wobbler by me, and a nice route by Sammy to get open,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said.
In all, Watkins – who played 44 snaps – caught all three of his targets for 93 yards.
Rodgers said he had a “real nice” text message conversation with Watkins during the week.
“The feeling I got afterwards was, man, we really got a special person who understands his role and is going to help us at some point,” Rodgers said.
Watkins’ 93 receiving yards were his most in a game since the 2021 season opener. And his 55-yard catch was his longest since the 2019 AFC Championship Game.
“I loved the way Sammy played,” Rodgers said.
Watkins wasn’t the only veteran receiver who made an impact. Allen Lazard caught a touchdown pass in his return to the field, and Randall Cobb converted a big third down in the first half and finished a 20-yard catch on an off-schedule play.
In all, Rodgers completed 13 of 16 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown when targeting wide receivers against the Bears.
Watkins, who signed a one-year deal with the Packers, caught three passes for 18 yards but wasn’t much of a factor in the season-opening loss to the Minnesota Vikings. A week later, the veteran provided a much-needed spark as the Packers got the passing game going and eventually buried the Bears on “Sunday Night Football.”
