GREEN BAY – While one of the big stories of Sunday night's win at Seattle was the instant impact made by rookie linebacker Edgerrin Cooper, the Packers are seeing other young players come of age in their own way, too.
Perhaps at just the right time.
Third-year receiver Christian Watson and second-year cornerback Carrington Valentine both played major roles in the 30-13 victory over the Seahawks, showing growth beyond the raw talents that have been on display during their young careers.
Watson's three-catch, 56-yard performance continued an impressive run for the speedy receiver, who's now caught 13 passes for 387 yards over his last five games – a dangerous 29.8 yards per catch.
He's become a consistent explosive-play threat, and a couple grabs he made in Seattle were particularly eye-catching. One was a 36-yard reception along the sideline, where he adjusted to the ball coming over his outside shoulder and then tapped his toes in bounds while falling to the ground.
Another was a diving 11-yard catch to convert on third-and-4 when QB Jordan Love broke the pocket, Watson mirrored him across the field, and then went down to scoop up a low throw that Love kept away from the defender.
Add to that a 39-yard pass interference penalty Watson drew on a deep ball when Love extended the play, and in a sense he produced his third 100-yard game of the season.
Head Coach Matt LaFleur chalked up Watson's standout play to seeing him practice better over the past two months. He also complimented his smarts, which keeps mental errors to a minimum, and how tough he's been to cover one-on-one.
It has helped Watson is enjoying his longest run of good health as a pro after an offseason dedicated to getting on top of his hamstring issues, but he's also shaken off a drop on a deep ball vs. San Francisco as though it never happened and kept up the work habits.
"He's had a great probably last two months," LaFleur said Tuesday regarding Watson's practice performance. "He's really showed up and it's showing up on gameday. That catch he made on the sideline, that was big-time. He's blocking his butt off as well. In every phase of the game, he's been A-plus."
On the defensive side, Valentine has seen his playing time increase significantly in the absence of star cornerback Jaire Alexander, who has played just 10 snaps (at Chicago) over the last six games.
Having battled injuries in the early portion of his second year, Valentine is fully healthy now and made the biggest play of his young career late in the first half Sunday night.
With the Packers up 17-3, Seattle had driven into the red zone and faced third-and-9 from the Green Bay 12-yard line. Under pressure, QB Geno Smith lofted a pass off his back foot to the corner of the end zone intended for tight end Noah Fant, who was being guarded by safety Evan Williams.
Near the goal line on that same side, Valentine was covering Tyler Lockett but saw the high throw and peeled back to snag it, taking points off the board for the Seahawks. Instead of pulling within 17-10 or at least 17-6, Seattle wound up down 20-3 at halftime when the Packers drove for a field goal before intermission.
"He didn't want to catch it the play before," LaFleur joked, referring to the second-down pass for Jaxon Smith-Njigba that Valentine got his hands on but couldn't haul in. "Very few times in life do you get a second chance to redeem yourself, and he did. That was a spectacular interception."
It was the first of his career after not getting any over 12 starts as a rookie seventh-round pick in 2023, though Valentine did lead the defense with nine passes defensed.
While it would've been prudent to take the touchback in the end zone instead of risking a return (he dodged tacklers to get to the 14-yard line), it was the kind of play that could serve as a springboard for a young player as the spotlight gets bigger down the stretch.
"I thought CV played an outstanding game," LaFleur said. "He's been stacking a lot of good days of work on the practice field, and I think it's paying off."
That is exactly where LaFleur's focus lies as well with the entire team, youth and veterans alike. The Packers sit at 10-4, one win from clinching a playoff spot, but that's not top of mind for the head coach.
"I'm not even worried about playoffs. Not worried about it," LaFleur said. "I'm worried about us continuing to get better, staying in the moment, focusing on what's right in front of us, and it's by attacking our practices the right way and just building our habits. It's all about how we improve throughout this process, and whatever happens, happens."
