Three hundred thirty-six days.
That's when the Green Bay Packers last hosted the Chicago Bears. Christian Watson suffered a heartbreaking injury, tearing his ACL, not only costing him a playoff run but also the start of the 2025 season.
He has been nothing short of phenomenal since returning in Week 8, much earlier than expected, and looks like a different player. In Green Bay's first game versus Chicago since that nightmarish afternoon, Watson hauled in four passes for 89 yards and two touchdowns to take his team back to the top of the NFC North.
The Packers were fired up after the win. After receiving a game ball from Matt LaFleur, Watson delivered an emotional message to the team.
"Real talk. We all know what happened last time we played these boys out here, for me," Watson said. "I wasn't trying to think about it a lot. Ya'll boys helped me do that. It meant a lot to me to be able to go out there, you know first off to get out the game healthy, to be out there with ya'll boys to get a dub."
It's never easy in this league pic.twitter.com/He9uMCPDv8
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) December 8, 2025
Christian Watson's massive performance meant even more after last season's heartbreak
Watson is the WR1 the Packers have been searching for, and it's more evident now than ever. They missed him after his injury last season and looked lost without his ability to stretch the field and destroy man coverage.
He's taken his game to another stratosphere this season.
The Bears sat predominantly in two-high looks, as most defenses have against the Packers, but on a crucial 3rd-and-3, they opted for single-high. It gave Watson a rare one-on-one opportunity, and he took full advantage, catching a 41-yard touchdown pass from Jordan Love to restore Green Bay's 10-point lead.
It was his second trip to the end zone of the game, having opened the scoring with a 23-yard touchdown catch.
It's clearer than ever how important Watson is to this offense. The Packers gave him a one-year extension while recovering from injury. They can rip that one up because Watson is playing his way into a massive multi-year deal.
He is becoming the star wide receiver the Packers expected when they traded up to get him (thanks for that deal, Minnesota Vikings!).
Watson overcame so much adversity just to get back on the field so quickly. Some players take a while to get back to their best following an ACL injury, but Watson looks better than he ever has.
It's always important to pick up a huge divisional win, but this one meant even more to Watson. The Packers are lucky to have him.