One week into the season, the Green Bay Packers already have a receiver move that looks a lot shakier than it did in the offseason.
Christian Watson was one of the few real bright spots for Green Bay in the opener, but the rest of the pass-catching group didn’t hold up nearly as well. That uneven performance made it impossible to ignore Dontayvion Wicks’ debut for the Philadelphia Eagles, where he delivered one of the game’s biggest plays with a 64-yard catch, finished with two receptions for 73 yards, and scored a touchdown.
That kind of burst is exactly what the Packers were missing when the game started slipping away. Green Bay leaned heavily on Watson, and once the Vikings keyed in on him, the offense didn’t have enough answers elsewhere. Wicks’ ability to create a splash play in his first outing with Philadelphia only sharpened the questions about why Green Bay moved on from him so quickly.
The Packers sent Wicks away for two day three picks, a deal that was supposed to bring more clarity to the starting lineup and the receiver depth chart. Instead, after one week, it’s fair to wonder whether Green Bay gave up on him too soon.
There’s at least an argument that keeping Wicks, even with an expiring deal, would have made sense given the current state of the position. Jordan Love is accustomed to having plenty of talent around him, and there are injury questions surrounding Watson.
There’s also reason to wonder about the ceiling of Matthew Golden. Put it together, and it’s hard to say Wicks had no path to helping the Packers.
How Green Bay handles the receiver room from here will be worth watching, especially if the front office makes any more depth moves. A lot of that may hinge on Watson’s health and whether he can get through a full season healthy for the first time in his career.
The Packers’ front office has earned plenty of trust, and one game is a tiny sample size. But Wicks’ debut in Philadelphia was hard to miss, and it was the kind of performance Green Bay fans would have loved to see in a Packers uniform.
In Other News...
Jordan Love Had A Brutally Honest Reaction To Packers Collapse
The Packers had control at halftime in their Week 1 meeting with the Vikings, but the game slipped away in the second half and left Green Bay staring at a 39-22 loss. Jordan Love was at the center of the turn, with a fourth-quarter interception helping swing momentum toward Minnesota as the Vikings finished the rally and handed the Packers an opening-night setback.
Love did not hide how tough the finish felt, and his frustration matched the mood around a team that expected more after building that early lead. Green Bay now has to move quickly from disappointment to correction, with the next chance to steady things coming against the Jets and a lot of attention on how the offense responds after a collapse like that. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Suddenly Have A Jordan Love Problem They Need To Solve
Jordan Love spent far too much of the Packers recent game dealing with heat instead of reading the field, and it showed in an offense that never really settled in. The Vikings blitzed heavily, the pocket kept collapsing, and Green Bays protection issues were magnified by a guard situation that has been thin, inexperienced and banged up for a while now.
The result was a rough night for a quarterback who needed cleaner answers from the people around him. Love finished with a completion rate of 46 percent, and when the pressure kept coming late, Minnesota was able to turn that into a scoring run that widened the gap. The Packers know the issue is bigger than one off night, because until the line gives Love more stability, every defense will keep testing the same weak spot. [Read more 🡒]
Aaron Rodgers Sent A Message Steelers Fans Will Love After Week 1
After the Steelers and Falcons opened the season, Aaron Rodgers made sure to reach out to a familiar face from his Packers days. Rodgers sent ZaDarius Smith a handwritten note praising his energy and the way he came back into the game, a small gesture that said plenty about the respect between the two former Green Bay teammates.
Smiths path back to the field has been anything but straightforward, with a brief retirement behind him before signing with Atlanta and then playing through a shoulder issue in Week 1. For Steelers fans, the message is the kind of reminder that Rodgers still keeps close tabs on players hes shared a locker room with, especially one who found a way to answer right away after a long road back. [Read more 🡒]