As Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers get ready to face the Carolina Panthers in Week 16, the team got a mixed bag of injury updates about its banged-up pass-catching corps. Heading into the game on Christmas Eve, it looks like rookie wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks is good to go, although second-year star Christian Watson is not.
“With Packers’ WR Christian Watson listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game due to a hamstring injury, Packers are expected to have WR Dontayvion Wicks, who is listed as questionable for Sunday’s game vs. Carolina due to an ankle injury, per source,” ESPN insider Adam Schefter reported on Sunday.
Watson has struggled with injuries all season, playing in just nine games thus far and catching only 28 balls for 422 yards. However, when the 2022 second-round pick is in, he’s a massive red zone threat who has five touchdowns.
In Watson’s absence, Wicks has been one of the young players to step up. He has 31 catches for 491 yards and a touchdown. Last week, in a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Wicks had a great game with six catches for 97 yards, and he will look to follow up that standout performance with another big outing against the Panthers now that he's officially active, and Watson and Jayden Reed are officially out.
Packers Week 16 Panthers game is a must-win
The Packers playoff hopes are hanging by a thread as they enter Week 16 against the Panthers. Jordan Love and company are 6-8 on the season and currently 11th in the NFC. Right now, the team has a 17 percent chance to make the postseason, according to NFL.com.
If the Packers beat the Panthers, that number rises to 25 percent. If they lose, it drops to a mere 5 percent.
The good news for cheeseheads is that the Panthers are the worst team in the league this season, with a 2-12 record for the campaign. However, the bad news is the Panthers are red hot (maybe an exaggeration) coming into this game after picking up their second win over the Atlanta Falcons last week.
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