The date is January 5th, 2025. The Packers are in the middle of what would become a losing effort against their rival Chicago Bears, in the last week of the 2024 regular season. Despite having already secured a playoff position, and no chance to win the division, the Packers choose to play most of their starters against the Bears. The only real stakes on the line for Green Bay was a slight chance at a better playoff seed, and the chance to emphatically shut the door on a disappointing Chicago season.
Despite not practicing for almost the entire week beforehand, and only having a “limited” status in that week’s Friday practice, the Packers chose to return Watson from his knee injury in this game.