GREEN BAY, Wis. – After defeating the New Orleans Saints on Monday, the Green Bay Packers face the challenge of preparing for the powerhouse Minnesota Vikings.

In a short week and with Christmas.

Here are some highlights from coach Matt LaFleur’s press conference the day after the game.

Could Christian Watson play on Sunday?

“Potentially. We have good news about him, so more like just a bruise. It was when the guy on the sideline fell on him. You still have to be able to function. So we’ll see how he trains this week and where we are .”

The wave when the offense had the ball

“Yeah, I wasn’t really happy at that moment. I love our fans and we have the best fans. I just wish they would have waited a few minutes for us to get on defense and then waved non-stop.”

The wave stopped when the defense was on the field

“It’s interesting. It’s an interesting perspective that doesn’t really make sense to me, but I think they weren’t worried about the outcome of the game. They were just having fun and we want our fans to have fun and usually when we win they have fun.”

About the piece by Zayne Anderson

“Yes, he did an excellent job. This was something big for him. That happened on Saturday. So Evan (Williams) took the most reps all week, and that just shows his ability to go in there and perform at a high level and make some key plays.

“It was cool to see, after our tour on Sunday, I’m walking through our CRIC area and X (Avier McKinney) has all the guys out there and they’re going through a few things because we had Omar (Brown) with us, as well. But it was cool to see.

“That’s what you want – you want to be player-led – so it was cool to see them discuss the details of what needs to happen at that position. RD (defensive backs coach Ryan Downard) was also there; I said, “RD is trying to steal some extra practice time,” and he was like, “No, that was all X.” But it’s really cool that it means so much to these guys that they want to go out there and make sure that they are at their best and we definitely did that.”

Are the Vikings blitzing as often as they did at the start of the season?

“Sure, that seems to be the case. I haven’t looked at all the numbers, but (Vikings defensive coordinator Brian) Flores has done a great job with that defense. I think it’s one of the toughest opponents in the National Football League.

“The numbers are the numbers. They are an elite defense and have a lot of great players. They can put pressure on the quarterback and take the ball away from him. If you make a mistake in the passing game, you’re going to pay for it because everyone on defense, including guys like (Andrew) Van Ginkel and (Blake) Cashman, has really good ball skills. Absolutely the secondary does, and they did a great job getting the ball out and getting a ton of sacks.

“And then you go into their environment, which is one of the toughest buildings in the league. So it’s going to be a big challenge for us and honestly I think we need it because we’re going to be playing away in the playoffs. This will be a playoff atmosphere and a playoff game.”

The play by Brenton Cox, who had a sack

“It’s a challenge when you have six D-ends, and that’s certainly a premier position that you just don’t want to get rid of. We’ve stayed (knocks on podium) relatively healthy, so it’s difficult to get all these guys in the rotation. When we traded P(reston Smith) to Pittsburgh, an opportunity opened up for Cox.

“I kept telling him all season, ‘We’ll get you up, it’s just a matter of time.’ “You have to keep working,” and he has stayed true to that attitude, continuing to work and look great every day, whether he was on the look team or just doing a few reps in practice. He always did a great job.

“It’s always fun to watch him and Sheedo (Rasheed Walker) do it every day. It’s like two brothers trying their best, but they’re always striving, competing and pushing each other to be better.”

Playoff entry, but Emanuel Wilson said: “The job is not done yet”

“Well, this game is all about the players and in the end it’s probably better if your dressing room leads the way. These guys take it to heart and understand it. We still have two games left.

“We have a first-class team in this league, one of the best teams. They play at a really high level. What have they won? Like eight times in a row or something like that? That’s almost unheard of in this league. There is a great challenge ahead of us.

“I just think it’s so important to keep the focus on what’s right in front of you and focus on what you’re doing on a daily basis to try to make those incremental improvements that will ultimately hopefully make the difference in the long run.”

What’s Christmas like at Matt LaFleur’s house?

“I’m sure my boys will get up very early and wake me up. We’ll open presents and then I’ll come right in here. That’s what we do, right? In recent years it has sometimes been great how the schedule has shortened so we have been able to give the boys the opportunity to be with their families at Christmas. Hell, we played in Miami for Christmas one year.

“Every year is a little different, but we are lucky to be part of this league and part of this team. I love the energy and spirit of our team right now, but ultimately this is just a step in the journey and we need to keep building on it. What a great opportunity to compete in one of the toughest environments against one of the toughest teams, knowing that this has to be our path to get to where we ultimately want to be.”

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