Packers Beat the Bears – Rodgers’ Last Rent Check?

The Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears 28-19 at Soldier Field. Could this be Aaron Rodgers’ last rent check paid due twice a year by the Bears? It very well could be. The odds of Rodgers returning in 2023 seem to decline week to week. How he departs will be debated ad nauseam until the Packers or Rodgers take action. In the meantime, like a good landlord, Rodgers got his rent. 

Christian Watson Again the Star of the Game

It took a fourth-quarter comeback for the Packers to overcome the rival Bears. While Rodgers was there for three-quarters with a hand out patiently waiting to collect. Christian Watson busted right in the front door and took what he was owed. Watson’s two touchdowns against the Bears tally eight in the last four games. A feat that has people drawing comparisons of him to Hall of Famer  Randy Moss. 

Is this a hot stretch or is Watson really that good? It’s hard to say and only time will tell. While some players will take a jump in their second season. Conversely, others at times take a step back. That said, Christian Watson has freakish speed and size that could allow him to be a star. If he is indeed the Packers’ next superstar, he’ll likely reflect on playing with Rodgers and what that did for him. 

A flaw in Watson’s game is his propensity to drop passes. I said in week one that if Watson doesn’t drop that bomb on the first play from scrimmage against the Vikings the Packers win that game. Now looking back, I wonder if Watson makes that catch the Packers’ entire season doesn’t look different. 

All Watson Needed Was Some Confidence

Against the Cowboys, in week 10 Watson dropped his first two targets. After the second drop, he looked dejected and lost. No display of confidence whatsoever. He knew he was deep in the Aaron Rodgers doghouse. But for a matter of not having many other options. The Packers’ wide receiver group was thinned by injury. Hence Rodgers had to go to him. 

And go to him he did. In the second quarter, Watson hauls in a long and difficult over-the-shoulder 58-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers. In the fourth quarter, he caught two more touchdown passes for three on the day. Since that game, he has been a touchdown machine. It just took one play and his confidence began to build. 

If this is Rodgers’ Last Rent Check – Is Ownership Transferable?

If Watson does blossom into a star. I’d bet he points to the harsh realities of playing with the demanding Rodgers as the launch pad for his career. Watson is still very much a raw talent. He’s young and malleable. If Watson was being honest. He’d say that Rodgers had been living rent-free in his head after each drop. 

Rodgers’ ownership of the Bears has been well documented. The details of the agreement are a bit unclear. Is the deed to the Bears transferable? If so Christian Watson looks to be ready to take possession.