The Green Bay Packers destroyed the New Orleans Saints in their Week 16 matchup, with the final score settling in at 34-0. While pretty much everything went the Packers way, they were dealt a potentially devastating injury when star wide receiver Christian Watson was forced out of the game early with a knee injury.

Watson is arguably Green Bay's top big-play threat, so being without him for a period of time could have been catastrophic. Head coach Matt LaFleur indicated after the game that there was some concern regarding Watson's injury, but he changed course on Tuesday afternoon, saying that Watson had only suffered a knee bruise, and that he could potentially play in Week 17 against the Minnesota Vikings.

“Matt LaFleur says the Packers got good news on Christian Watson. Just a knee bruise. Could potentially play Sunday in Minnesota,” Matt Schneidman of The Athletic said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Packers will need Christian Watson healthy for upcoming postseason run

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Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson (9) rushes with the football during the second quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Lambeau Field.
Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

This is great news for Green Bay, as losing Watson would have been a tough blow for them. Watson only has 29 catches on the year, but he's managed to do quite a bit with those catches, as he's racked up 620 yards and two scores on those plays. And now, it seems like he's avoided the worst case scenario with this injury, as he could end up playing in Week 17 in a huge clash against the Vikings.

Given how the Packers will be more focused on their postseason run then their final two regular season games at this point, they could opt to play it safe with Watson in an effort to preserve his health. Regardless, this is a great update on Watson, and the Packers will look to keep up their positive momentum in their huge Week 17 matchup.