Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson returned to the Week 8 “Thursday Night Football” matchup against the Carolina Panthers in the third quarter after leaving the first half with a chest injury. Watson was taken to a hospital near Lambeau Field for precautionary tests and returned to the stadium a half hour later. The team initially deemed him questionable to play, and upon his clearance, he rejoined the contest.
Watson returned to Lambeau Field in an ambulance and ran to the locker room, where he spent about three minutes getting ready to return to action. He came off the sideline with extra padding around his ribs and pointed to the lower right side of his chest when teammates asked about the injury, according to Prime Video’s Kaylee Hartung.
“It was tough,” Watson told Hartung on the postgame show. “I never wanted to go. I was hoping they would let me off. I said I felt better when I just sighed a little. They said there were some signs that they had to take me there. This is true. I was just praying that it was good enough to where I can come back out here. Thankfully it was, and I was able to get back out. I’m trying to be on the football field for That’s first.
Watson said he was spitting up blood when the injury occurred, prompting the Packers’ medical staff to take him to the hospital. The tests ruled out internal bleeding, opening the door for him to play. He said he followed the game from his hospital room and watched the play-by-play feed while awaiting the results of his tests.
The damage happened on the biggest play of the first half: A 53-yard reception that set up the Packers’ second touchdown of the night. Watson collided with Panthers cornerback Will Lee III, who was also injured on the play. Carolina ruled Lee doubtful to return with hamstring injury.
Watson was in the midst of a tremendous performance when he left the tournament. He led all receivers in the first half with six catches for 100 yards. His ability to break away from the Panthers’ poor defense was instrumental in quarterback Jordan Love completing 17 of his first 20 passes on the night.
The Packers dialed a pass in Watson’s direction on his first play back from the hospital, and while he didn’t make a catch, he added a pair of receptions in the fourth quarter. The second of those two grabs nearly iced the game, as it converted a third down and allowed the Packers to run out valuable time on the clock and limit the Panthers to just seconds on their final possession.
Matthew Golden grew in Watson’s absence as the No. 1 option in Green Bay’s receiving unit. He caught a touchdown pass on the Packers’ first possession without Watson and redeemed himself by dropping a would-be scoring pass in the previous game. Tucker Kraft also played an increased role downfield and was responsible for the Packers’ first touchdown on Thursday.
Injuries, unfortunately, have been a defining element of Watson’s NFL career. He has an extensive history that includes a separate chest injury, three hamstring strains, an ankle sprain, three knee bruises and an ACL tear. He also suffered a concussion during his rookie season in 2022. In total, Watson missed 20 games and has yet to play a full season in five years in the league.