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Jordan Love-to-Christian Watson opening score nearly didn't happen vs. Lions

profilephotocropby:Suzanne Halliburton•11/24/23•

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jordan love Super bowl Odds
Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Packers coach Matt LaFleur knew he wanted the offense to be aggressive for its Thanksgiving date with the Lions. But a deep ball from the get go? Only after the 53-yard completion from Jordan Love to Christian Watson worked and only after the Packers won 29-22 did LaFleur talk about the doubt he had before the game.

Thank goodness Love talked him out of ditching the call.

“Matter of fact, I almost changed that first play call,” LaFleur told reporters. “I was kind of mulling it over quite a bit, and I texted Jordan (Thursday) morning and told him I was going to change it to something else.”

Want to relive the Jordan Love-Christian Watson moment again? Have a look.

It really is aggressive to call a long pass when it’s first-and-10 with the entire game to go. But Love pulled off the play action by faking a handoff to AJ Dillon, then lofting the ball to Watson. The receiver had made himself a cushion between cornerback Cameron Sutton and safety Tracy Walker. Although the two Lion DBs closed fast, Watson pulled down the ball. And talk about a jolt to the Packers. It reverberated through the offense, defense and special teams.

It also helped propel the Packers to its best opening quarter, scoring wise, in nine years. The last time the team scored 20 points or more in a first quarter was back on Oct. 19, 2014, against the Panthers. Before Thanksgiving, the team had scored all of 20 points combined in its 10 first quarters this season.

And know that Christian Watson wants to be there for all the Jordan Love passes.

“It’s my dream – just come out here and be able to make plays,” Watson said in his post-game availability. “To know (that) we’re starting off with me, got to go out there and make a play. That’s exactly the type of pressure and the type of anticipation I want going into a game, so that was huge.”

But that wasn’t the end of the Jordan Love-Christian Watson connection. The Packers scored a touchdown after that first big pass play. Love and Watson tested their connection again with a 14-yard gain. Then Love finished the drive with a touchdown toss to Jayden Reed.

In the third quarter, this Jordan Love to Christian Watson pass gave the Packers all the cushion they would need to knock off the Lions and put themselves back into play for a wildcard berth. Love threw the ball to drop it over the left shoulder of Watson. It was passing perfection.

The the win pushed the Packers record to 5-6. With Love, who is in his first year as starter, beginning to play with such confidence, it is OK to involve Green Bay in the playoff discussion. The Lions still are the class of the NFC North. Meanwhile, the Vikings, after a difficult start and losing quarterback Kirk Cousins, are 6-5.

Their next game is against the Chiefs, the defending Super Bowl champions. Jordan Love and Christian Watson need to work up another big play.