Thursday night’s Packers-Panthers game saw two players exit with injuries on the same play — with one going to the hospital.
But Christian Watson didn’t need the medical attention for long.
With 9:19 to play in the second quarter in the Packers’ 27-19 win, Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love dropped a 53-yard pass into the bucket for Christian Watson, who made the catch but was hit hard by both Panthers defensive backs Zakee Wheatley and Will Lee III at the Carolina 26-yard line.
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Watson stayed down on the Lambeau Field grass with his chest facing the sky, while Lee, who had come over the top of the receiver, was also down and holding his left hamstring. Lee was helped to the sideline by the Carolina staff and was then carted off the field. He did not return.
Watson was eventually able to get up and was seen walking into an ambulance in the tunnels of Lambeau. The Packers said he was taken to a local hospital for precautionary reasons and was questionable to return with a chest injury.
But about an hour later, shortly after the start of the second half, he came back to the stadium and entered the game with under five minutes left in the third quarter and got a roaring ovation from the home crowd.
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After the game, Watson said he never wanted to go to the hospital, but he was initially spitting blood on the field, so the medical staff wanted to make sure there was no internal bleeding in his chest.
“I never wanted to go, I was hoping they would let me off. I said I was feeling better once I caught my breath,” Watson told Prime Video after the game.
“I was just praying it was just good enough to where I could come back out here, and obviously thankfully it was.”
Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson stays down on the field with an injury against the Carolina Panthers, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2026, in Green Bay, Wis. Getty Images
Carolina Panthers cornerback Will Lee III is carted off after an injury against the Green Bay Packers in Green Bay, Wis., Oct. 29, 2026. AP Photo/Matt Ludtke
The Packers are surely glad Watson was OK, as they’re already down one receiver this season after Jayden Reed suffered a season-ending neck injury in Week 2 against the Jets.
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Watson led the Packers in receiving (six catches, 100 yards) at halftime, as Thursday marked his third 100-plus-yard receiving game of the season. He added two more catches and 13 yards in the second half as the Packers moved to 5-3.
