Green Bay Packers receiver Christian Watson was taken to a local hospital during the first half of Thursday night's 27-19 win over the Carolina Panthers after suffering a chest injury, then returned to play at Lambeau Field.
Watson was hurt at the end of a 53-yard deep-ball reception in which he appeared to land awkwardly. "I think I just landed on the ball, it got me in the ribs," Watson said during a postgame appearance on "Sports Center with Scott Van Pelt." He said he initially struggled to catch his breath and was spitting up blood. Watson walked off the field under his own power and climbed into the back of an ambulance by himself, still wearing his pads.
At the hospital, Watson underwent tests, including a CT scan. After the results came back clean, he was cleared to return to Lambeau Field. He jogged back to the Packers' sideline with 6:56 left in the third quarter, reentered the game with 4:01 left in the quarter, and caught a 5-yard pass on the first play of the fourth quarter. Watson called the experience a "surreal experience."
A similar situation arose last season at Denver on Dec. 15, when Watson went to the hospital to check for broken ribs. Those tests were negative, and he played in the next game. Before leaving Thursday's game, Watson had six catches for 100 yards. The 53-yarder was his third reception of 50 or more yards this season, the most in the NFL. Since 2022, he has 11 catches of 50-plus yards, second in the league behind only Nico Collins (12).
Watson finished with eight receptions on 10 targets for 113 yards. Tight end Josh Whyle was ruled out of the game after sustaining a concussion.
Source: ESPN NFL · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing