Packers
Packers WR Christian Watson spoke about scoring a big touchdown against the Bears and is thankful to be back following last season’s injury that had previously limited his speed.
“It means a lot to me, for sure. Honestly, I tried not to think about it that much, but as the game was kind of getting going, it was definitely creeping in my mind a little bit,” Watson said, via Dominique Yates of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I’m just so thankful and blessed to be able to do what I do, and I’m glad today panned out how it did. As soon as I saw Jordan make the check, honestly, I’d like to say I knew it was going to be a touchdown. Anytime you get man coverage, that’s the mentality that we should have.”
Packers QB Jordan Love and HC Matt LaFleur are happy with the win, but are aware the two teams will face off again in the near future.
“It’s a very big win,” Love said, via Rob Demovsky of ESPN. “Obviously, just where we’re at in the NFC North and the division that we have, I think we’ve got some really good teams in this division and, obviously, the Bears were on top. We knew what it was coming into it, and it’s a huge win. Obviously, we’ll be seeing these guys here again in a couple of weeks.”
“Yeah, it meant a lot to everybody,” Love added. “But obviously, we’ve all known the comments that were out there, so it is what it is. This is a game that means a lot to everybody. It’s an NFC North matchup. Obviously, the Bears were the No. 1 seed. So, it’s a huge game. We’ll see these guys here in a couple of weeks again.”
“It means nothing right now,” LaFleur began. “I mean, it means a lot, but there are four weeks left and you’ve got to take it day by day. You’ve got to really embrace that grind, embrace the challenge. It’s not going to be easy from here on out. We’ve got a great test in Denver coming up. Our guys really got to push and try to find any competitive advantage that we can get in order to go there, on the road, against a really quality opponent and find a way to get a win.”
- Dianna Russini of The Athletic named Packers DC Jeff Hafley as an assistant coach who could garner “serious looks” in the upcoming coaching cycle.
Vikings
Vikings WR Justin Jefferson only had two catches for 11 yards in the team’s loss on Sunday and told reporters he would rather have the win and zero catches.
“I’d rather win and not get the ball than lose and not get the ball,” Jefferson said, via Pro Football Talk. “As long as we’re winning, this team is coming in here with a smile on our face and we have the confidence to continue on and better ourselves, and make sure that we continue this feeling, that’s the main objective.”
Vikings
The Vikings cruised to a 31-0 win over the Commanders in Week 14 behind a career day from QB J.J. McCarthy, where he threw three touchdowns and completed nearly 70 percent of his passes. Minnesota HC Kevin O’Connell was glad his young quarterback was “out there hopefully absorbing the feeling of what winning football can be for our team when our quarterback plays winning football.”
McCarthy talked about the importance of putting together a strong performance after the rough stretch of games since returning from injury.
“It’s definitely reassuring,” McCarthy said, via ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. “I always knew I had that and I always knew the potential is there. But I’m looking at it right now, and there’s so many ways I could get better. I’m so far from where I want to be, so it’s just great to get the win and grow in this game.”
The post NFC Notes: Justin Jefferson, Jordan Love, Christian Watson, Packers, Vikings appeared first on NFLTradeRumors.co.