GREEN BAY, Wis. — There’s no legitimate silver lining when your best player tears his ACL, but losing only Micah Parsons for the season is at least better than losing Parsons and Christian Watson for an extended time.

That nightmare scenario for the Green Bay Packers appeared possible during last Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos, after Watson and then Parsons went down in the third quarter of the Packers’ 34-26 loss.

Unfortunately for Green Bay, Parsons’ injury was as serious as it appeared when everyone saw a pop in his left knee despite a lack of contact while pressuring quarterback Bo Nix. Watson’s injury didn’t look great, either, as he clutched the area near his left shoulder after hitting the ground while cornerback Patrick Surtain II intercepted a deep ball intended for Watson.

The Packers’ top receiver over the past two months left the stadium during the game for imaging at a local hospital. Watson said Wednesday that the team was initially concerned about dislocated ribs, though his shoulder hurt more at first and then his chest once he sat up on the field. He flew home with the team and was listed on Tuesday’s injury report estimation with chest and shoulder injuries.

However, Watson was back at practice Wednesday, three days after his hospital visit, and appears on track to play in a pivotal game against the Chicago Bears on Saturday night. He said the eventual diagnosis was a relief and that he is in better physical condition than he anticipated Sunday afternoon.

A lot on the line for Saturday Night Football pic.twitter.com/7B4ReAQTeE

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) December 18, 2025

“I’ll probably just have something in my pads for game day just to be cautious. … Honestly, it’s feeling pretty good for everything considered, so I think it’ll be all right for the game,” Watson said. “Obviously, I gotta make sure that they clear me in the medical room and everything and make sure everything’s good, but I mean, yeah, my goal is just to have a couple good days leading up to the game, and hopefully it feels a little bit better each and every day. And we’re at the point in the season where you gotta fight through some stuff, so should be good.”

Watson said he got through a “decent chunk” of Wednesday’s practice before being listed as limited, which was also his designation Thursday. He’s officially listed as questionable to play Saturday.

On ESPN’s “Get Up” on Thursday morning, host Mike Greenberg posed a question to analyst Dan Orlovsky: “Is Jordan Love good enough right now to carry this team to a Super Bowl without Micah Parsons?”

“As long as he has Christian Watson, yes,” Orlovsky said.

If Watson remains the same receiver he was in his first two months back from rehabbing a torn ACL suffered last January, the Packers offense will be that much more potent and capable of singlehandedly winning Green Bay any game, even without its best defensive player.

From weeks 8 to 14, before Watson got hurt in Week 15 against the Broncos, he was plain and simple one of the league’s best wide receivers. He ranked tied for 11th in the league in receiving yards in his first seven games back, tied for fourth in touchdown catches, fourth in yards per reception and fourth in expected points added per target, according to TruMedia.

“He poses some speed matchups when he gets the ball in his hand, and he’s able to do some cool things,” Love said. “We’ve played a good amount of games this season without him, so we’ve got plenty of playmakers at the receiver position and guys who can make plays if he wasn’t able to go. But he’s done some great things since he’s been back and just adds another explosive element to our offense.”

Watson was one of a whopping 10 players listed as questionable on Green Bay’s game status report Thursday.

Packers list Josh Jacobs & Christian Watson among 10 players questionable

— Green Bay Packers (@packers) December 18, 2025

The others included running backs Josh Jacobs (knee/ankle) and Chris Brooks (neck), right tackle Zach Tom (back/knee), safety Evan Williams (knee), wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks (ankle), offensive lineman Darian Kinnard (neck), and defensive ends Kingsley Enagbare (illness), Brenton Cox Jr. (groin) and Collin Oliver (hamstring). Tight end Josh Whyle (concussion) was ruled out.

The most notable players on that list are Jacobs, Tom and Williams.

Jacobs, listed with knee and ankle injuries, said he’s also dealing with thigh bruising. He didn’t practice this week, which differs from his schedule last week of practicing in a limited capacity Friday before playing Sunday. Jacobs reinjured his left knee early in that game, but it’ll take a village to hold the heart and soul of the Packers out in a game of this magnitude. Jacobs said Tuesday that he’ll try to play, adding, “It’s harder to watch games than it is to play hurt.”

“It’s been a couple times since I’ve been here where we (Jacobs and coach Matt LaFleur) kind of clashed on if they was going to allow me to play or not, and every time I had a pretty good game,” Jacobs said. “I think he’s probably to the point where he’s like, ‘Man, I’m just going to trust you. If you say you can do it and you believe that you can do it, then I’m going to let you go.’”

Tom is the Packers’ best offensive lineman, and he didn’t practice this week, either. LaFleur said the team would give Jacobs and Tom until inactives are due at 5:50 p.m. CT on Saturday to prove they can play. Tom said Thursday that his status will “more than likely” come down to how his knee feels when he wakes up Saturday. If he doesn’t play, the Packers will likely start either Kinnard or 2024 first-round pick Jordan Morgan at right tackle. Morgan hasn’t played right tackle since Week 3, and in recent weeks, rookie second-round pick Anthony Belton has fully displaced him at right guard.

“We would consider anything. We’ll see,” LaFleur said. “Everything’s up in the air, and you guys will have the pleasure of seeing what we do on Saturday night.”

Williams said Wednesday that he likely wouldn’t play if he didn’t practice this week, which he didn’t. Assuming he doesn’t play because of the sprained MCL he suffered in Denver on the same play in which Parsons tore his ACL, special teams ace Zayne Anderson would start alongside Xavier McKinney instead. Anderson has played only 22 defensive snaps this season, and 20 came in Denver after Williams’ injury.

“I thought Zayne did a really nice job in the game,” defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said. “Zayne’s a guy who’s played great on special teams. Zayne’s a guy who’s smart. He’s been in the league for a while. Total confidence in Zayne. One hundred percent. … It’s still a developmental league in a lot of regards, and we gotta get guys ready to go, and that’s a great example of what (defensive backs coach) Ryan Downard and D.A. (defensive passing game coordinator Derrick Ansley) have done to make sure Zayne was ready to go in that moment, and he did a nice job.”