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 departing in the first half with a chest injury. Watson was transported to a hospital near Lambeau Field for precautionary tests and returned to the stadium shortly after halftime. The team initially deemed him questionable to play, and upon his clearance, he reentered the contest.
Watson arrived back at Lambeau Field in an ambulance and ran into the locker room, where he spent about three minutes preparing for a return to action. He emerged onto the sideline with additional padding around his ribs and pointed to the lower right side of his chest when teammates inquired about the injury, according to Prime Video’s Kaylee Hartung.
“It was tough,” Watson said to Hartung during the postgame show. “I never wanted to go. I was hoping they would let me off. I said I was feeling better once I kind of caught my breath. They said there was a couple of signs that made them have to take me over there. It is what it is. I was just praying that it was good enough to where I could come back out here. Thankfully it was, and I was able to get back out. I’m trying to be on the football field. That’s first and foremost for me.”
Watson said that he spit up blood upon sustaining the injury, which was a trigger for the Packers’ medical staff to take him to the hospital. Tests ruled out internal bleeding, which opened the door for him to play. He said that he monitored the game from his hospital room and watched the play-by-play feed while waiting for the results of his tests.
The injury occurred 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 a hamstring injury.
Watson was in the midst of a massive performance when he departed from the contest. He led all receivers in the first half with six catches for 100 yards. His ability to separate from the maligned Panthers defense was instrumental in quarterback Jordan Love completing 17 of his first 20 passes on the night.
The Packers dialed up a pass in Watson’s direction on his first play back from the hospital, and while he did not come up with the catch, he did add 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 drain valuable time off the clock and limit the Panthers to mere seconds on their final possession.
Matthew Golden stepped up 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 for dropping a would-be scoring pass on the previous play. 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 sustained a concussion during his rookie season in 2022. In all, Watson has missed 20 games and is yet to play a full season across five years in the league.
