The Jordan Love-Christian Watson connection has not been as successful as expected this season. Watson has just 14 catches on the year, while Love has struggled to prove he can be the Packers quarterback of the future after all. Watson received much of the ire of the fanbase for Sunday's loss, as some fans thought he gave up on several routes.
As for Watson himself, the Packers second-year wideout didn't take much responsibility for his two-catch performance.
"There's people on the other side of the field getting paid a lot of money to do what they do, too," Watson said, per The Athletic. "I just think in certain situations, the defense has a good call or just makes a good play. That's it at the end of the day."
Christian Watson, Packers frustrated with loss to Steelers
Watson was drafted in some sense to replace Davante Adams. He's had moderate success, mostly in his rookie season, but has taken a step back in 2023. While Watson did admit he is frustrated by the lack of results, and that "close is not close enough", he also deflected blame on his teammates some with the following statement.
"It's frustrating, for sure, just with the expectation I have for myself, the goal that I have for myself," Watson said. "Just wanna find ways to try to make more of an impact, but at the end of the day, I'm only one out of 11 people on the field, so we just find a way to get it done as a team."
Christian Watson's father comes to his defense
Watson's father came to his defense, sparking an angry Twitter mob in the replies. The elder Watson compared his son's numbers to those of Davante Adams during his first two seasons in Green Bay.
While Adams had more catches, he did struggle to gain his footing in the offense. At the same time, though, Adams was not drafted to replace one of the best receivers in football. The expectations were different, and while Packers fans were frustrated by his lack of results, that noise never reached a fever pitch as it has with Watson.
Even Watson's brother appeared to take shots at Jordan Love postgame.
Only time will tell if the North Dakota State product will become what Green Bay thinks he can be -- a true No. 1 wideout.
