![\"Christian](\"https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/31H_NgPlS-LEsYWuaaqcNpxuk5c=\/0x0:3000x2000\/1200x800\/filters:focal(1273x817:1753x1297)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/73789943\/2190144786.0.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe Packers\u2019 pair of third-year receivers is taking off.<\/p>\n
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Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs are the old men of the Packers\u2019 receiving corps. Though their actual age doesn\u2019t put them that far ahead of their counterparts, nobody can match them in terms of real NFL experience.<\/p>\n
If experience is what counts, it seems to be showing up for both Watson and Doubs right now. Both have been the best versions of themselves this season, giving the Packers crucial stability in their talented but still very young group of pass catchers.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s start with Watson. His rookie season explosion was both the best and worst thing that could have happened to him. Nobody will forget the first target of his career; I think the clang the ball made as it ricocheted off his hands is still reverberating through the Vikings\u2019 stadium. But his late-season explosion after a spate of injuries showed exactly why the Packers traded up to pick him in the second round.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the good part. The bad part was how his hot streak raised expectations for year two, and amid a host of injuries, Watson faltered.<\/p>\n
![\"Christian](\"https:\/\/www.jsonline.com\/gcdn\/authoring\/authoring-images\/2023\/09\/26\/PAPN\/70969133007-apc-pack-vs-saints-0924233226-djp-a.jpg?crop=2970,1671,x0,y296&width=660&height=371&format=pjpg&auto=webp\")
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But now, Watson is playing some of the best football of his career. It\u2019s not the statistical equal of his 2022 tear, but over his past five games, Watson has averaged a staggering 29.8 yards per catch, putting up 387 yards on 13 catches. What\u2019s more, he\u2019s shown an increased aptitude for throttling down and making tough catches in space, and his body control has been superb.<\/p>\n
He put the full package together against the Seahawks. On Watson\u2019s first target, he tapped his toes on the sideline to collect a 36-yard bomb for what would have been the catch of the game if not for Doubs\u2019 later efforts. Then, on the Packers\u2019 first drive of the second half, Watson drew a 39-yard defensive pass interference call with his deep speed, getting behind the defense and coming back hard for the ball to earn the penalty. Later on the same drive, Watson dug out a tough target on 3rd and 4 to keep the drive alive, then absorbed a big hit on another 3rd down target to set the Packers up with a short 4th down that head coach Matt LaFleur probably should have attempted.<\/p>\n
![\"@The33rdTeamFB's](\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/amplify_video_thumb\/1868509505018904576\/img\/V6m9h_UnWFsR698x.jpg:large\")
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Watson\u2019s speed has never been in doubt, but just about everything else about his game has been an open question at points in his career. Now, though, he\u2019s playing his most well-rounded football, and it\u2019s showing up on the stat sheet. As of last night, Watson has recorded a new career high for a single season with 620 yards, surpassing his rookie total of 611.<\/p>\n
But speaking of showing up on the stat sheet, consider Doubs. Over his past 17 games, counting playoffs, Doubs has recorded 57 catches for 894 yards and six touchdowns \u2014 a tidy 15.6 per catch. He\u2019s earned that stat line by being Jordan Love\u2019s most reliable outlet.<\/p>\n
Like Watson, Doubs had his share of struggles throughout the early portions of his Packers career. Thrust into bigger roles than he probably should have occupied in 2022, Doubs looked out of place. But as the Packers\u2019 receiving corps has grown around him, Doubs has thrived in something of a sidekick role \u2014 a good reminder that you don\u2019t have to be a leading man to still be a valuable part of the team.<\/p>\n
But even if he\u2019s historically more of a crucial supporting character than a star, last night he was the headliner. He turned his first target into a 13-yard touchdown, muscling through a defender to score what seemed like an uncharacteristically hard-charging score for the normally taciturn Doubs.<\/p>\n
That was a mere preview of what he had in store, though. Late in the fourth quarter, Doubs put the game away for good with what could be the best catch of the Packers\u2019 season. Shaking his defender just enough on a post route, Doubs completed a catch with an insanely high degree of difficulty, picking the ball right off the tips of the artificial grass while keeping his body off the end line, securing the ball as he crashed to the ground.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s the sort of catch that\u2019s hard to envision the rookie version of Doubs making, but here in 2024 it\u2019s not surprising. You\u2019d never plan to see a catch like that, but given the arc of Doubs\u2019 career, it seems like just the sort of play he\u2019d grow into.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the case for both Watson and Doubs. Both started off relatively slow, but have rounded into form in their third seasons and now appear to be ready to elevate the Packers\u2019 passing game for the stretch run.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Packers\u2019 pair of third-year receivers is taking off.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6734,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-green-bay-packers"],"yoast_head":"\n