Packers' Love reaps the benefits as
Watson and Golden develop into dynamic receiving duo
[October 13, 2026]
By STEVE MEGARGEE
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Jordan Love faces a greater burden to carry
the Green Bay Packers’ offense as long as they’re unable to run the
ball consistently.
Christian Watson and Matthew Golden have made Love's challenge a bit
easier by developing into one of the NFL's top receiving tandems.
In Green Bay’s 31-7 blowout of the Chicago Bears on Sunday, Love
joined Aaron Rodgers as the only Packers players ever to throw for
350-plus yards and multiple touchdowns with no interceptions in a
game while completing at least 80% of their passes.
Watson had six catches for 143 yards and two touchdowns, while
Golden caught six passes for 123 yards. They have stepped up their
play now that fellow receiver Jayden Reed is out for the season with
a neck injury.
“We talked about it a little bit last week, how good the offense can
be,” Love said after Sunday's game. “It just shows right there.
Those are two guys that are dominant factors.”
Watson is the first NFL player since Jerry Rice in 1986 to have at
least 25 catches and six touchdown receptions while averaging 18
yards per catch through the first five games of a season.
His 474 yards receiving rank fifth in the NFL, and Golden is eighth
with 397. Watson’s six touchdown catches put him second in the
league, behind Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
“There’s a lot of individual goals I want to achieve, but I’ve got
to keep on doing what I’m doing if we want to have success as a
team,” Watson said. “Obviously they’re relying on me a lot, so I’ve
got to keep on doing what I’m doing to obviously get the team the
best chance to continue winning.”
Love ranks 14th in the NFL in passer rating after finishing sixth in
that category last season, but he is heating up now that Green Bay’s
injury-riddled offensive line is stabilizing. Sunday marked the
first time the Packers used the same starting O-line in consecutive
games.
The Bears game marked Love’s third 300-yard performance of the
season. He went 25 of 31 for 367 yards. That included touchdown
passes to Watson of 42 and 53 yards.
“Regardless of how good or bad things are going, he’s going to be
the first guy to lift everybody’s head up,” Watson said. “He’s going
to be the first guy to pick you up when you’re down. He just has an
unwavering confidence in everybody around him. That just instills
confidence in us when we’re out there.”
What’s working
The Packers have produced eight takeaways over their last two games.
They forced turnovers on four straight possessions during one
second-half stretch Sunday. They also didn’t commit a turnover. …
Green Bay limited the Bears to 81 yards on 24 carries, well below
their NFL-leading average of 196.3 yards rushing entering the game.
… The Packers produced six pass completions of more than 30 yards,
including four of at least 42 yards. … With Caleb Williams out
because of a hamstring injury, the Packers sacked Bears QBs Tyson
Bagent and Case Keenum twice each. ... The Packers were penalized
four times for 25 yards – both season lows – after entering this
game with an NFL-high 86 penalty yards per game.
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Green Bay Packers' Jordan Love reacts after an NFL football game
against the Chicago Bears in Green Bay, Wis., Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026.
(AP Photo/Mike Roemer)
What needs work
The rushing attack remains a major concern. Green Bay gained 70
yards on 26 carries Sunday. The Packers have an NFL-low 60.4 yards
rushing per game. They’re gaining 3.1 yards per carry for the
league’s second-lowest average, ahead of Las Vegas.
Stock up
Xavier McKinney had his fourth career two-interception game. …
Devonte Wyatt recorded two sacks to match a career high. … Since
stats started getting measured as an official statistic in 1982,
Dani Dennis-Sutton is the first Packers rookie to have a sack,
multiple tackles for loss and a fumble recovery in the same game. …
Daniel Whelan’s average of 55.3 yards per punt was the third-highest
in team history for any game in which someone had at least four
attempts.
Stock down
After going 6 of 7 on field-goal attempts with a 58-yarder and a
59-yarder in his first four games, Trey Smack had the worst
performance of his rookie season Sunday. He missed an extra-point
attempt and went 1 of 3 on field goals. Smack made a 35-yarder but
missed from 43 and 47.
Injuries
DT Javon Hargrave was carted off the field with an Achilles tendon
injury. Hargrave joins Reed, offensive tackle Zach Bako-Bewele
(knee) and linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (Achilles) as Packers players
with season-ending injuries.
All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons hasn't yet been cleared to
practice as he comes back after tearing his anterior cruciate
ligament last December.
“As soon as they give us the green light, he’ll be out there,”
LaFleur said Monday. “That hasn’t happened yet, but I think we’re
getting closer.”
Key number
5 — Green Bay had a plus-5 turnover margin against the Bears. That
represented the Packers’ best turnover margin in any game since
2016, when they produced six takeaways and committed no turnovers in
a 38-10 home victory over the Seattle Seahawks.
Next steps
The Packers (3-2) host the Dallas Cowboys (2-3) on Sunday night in a
rematch of last season’s 40-all tie. Dallas should have extra rest
and motivation after losing 24-16 at home to the previously winless
Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday.
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