WATCH: Former Bison WR Watson among fastest in-game players in NFL this season – InForum

FARGO — Former North Dakota State wide receiver Christian Watson flashed his game-changing speed for the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night and has been one of the fastest players in the NFL this season.

Watson caught a pass over the middle and outraced the Philadelphia Eagles secondary for a 63-yard touchdown catch in a 40-33 loss at Lincoln Financial Field.

The 6-foot-5, 208-pound Watson reached a top speed of 20.97 miles per hour on the TD catch and run, according to Next Gen Stats for the fastest top speed for a Green Bay player on a play from scrimmage this season.

“I take a lot of pride in my speed, I think that’s a big part of my game,” Watson said in a postgame interview posted on the Packers website. “Any time I can create a little bit of separation, just get that edge , obviously there is an opportunity for big plays.”

Watson had four catches for 110 yards against the Eagles and has caught six touchdowns in his past three games. During that three-game stretch, he had 12 receptions for 265 yards.

“Christian’s been phenomenal,” Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said after Sunday night’s game. “He seems to continue to build on his performance from the previous week. We’ve still got to be creative in terms of how we get him the ball.”

Watson has reached 20-plus miles per hour on 12 plays from scrimmage this season, second in the league to Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill — who has done it 18 times — according to Next Gen Stats.

“It’s a team game so I’m not happy about anything unless we’re being successful as a team,” Watson said.

The Packers are 4-8 overall after losing their last two games.

“I’m passionate about competing, I’m passionate about winning football games, I’m passionate about football in general,” Watson said. “If we’re not winning, everything else, it doesn’t matter.”

Watson has played in nine games in his rookie season and has 22 catches for 353 yards and six touchdowns. He also rushed for 22 yards and a touchdown on four attempts.

Watson leads all rookie wide receivers in receiving touchdowns.

Watson’s six TD receptions in the past three weeks is more than 26 NFL teams, according to Pro Football Focus.