Packers' Christian Watson returns to play after hospital trip for chest injury
Watson walked off on his own after a 53-yard catch, went to the hospital as a precaution, then came back and caught a pass before Green Bay's 27-19 win over Carolina was done.
Why Watson went to the hospital
Christian Watson went to a hospital during Thursday night's game against Carolina for a chest injury, then came back to the field and finished out the Packers' 27-19 win over the Panthers at Lambeau Field, on a night that started with far more concern than celebration.
The injury happened on a 53-yard catch in the first half, a deep ball Watson hauled in before he landed awkwardly.
Watson walked off the field on his own power. He headed to the locker room without any help, and he climbed into the back of the ambulance by himself, still wearing his pads. The Packers said the trip to the hospital was precautionary.
It was the kind of scene that quiets a stadium, a receiver loaded into an ambulance in full gear while the clock kept running on the game he had just helped.
Back in the game before it was over
Watson didn't stay away long. He came back to the stadium, ran out of the tunnel, and jogged over to the Packers' sideline with 6:56 left in the third quarter.
He returned to the game itself with 4:01 left in the quarter and caught a 5-yard pass on the first play of the fourth. Before he left for the hospital, he already had six catches for 100 yards on the night. He finished with eight catches on 10 targets for 113 yards.
Hospital and back before the fourth quarter even started is a fast turnaround by any measure.
Not the first time, and a big season for Watson
Something similar happened to Watson last season. On Dec. 15 at Denver, he went to the hospital to get checked for broken ribs. The tests were negative, and he played in the Packers' next game.
The 53-yard catch that sent him to the hospital Thursday was his third reception of 50 or more yards this season, the most of any receiver in the NFL. Going back to 2022, Watson has 11 catches of 50-plus yards, second in the league behind only Houston's Nico Collins, who has 12.
It was also Watson's 13th catch of 20 or more yards this season, second behind only Seattle's Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who has 14 of his own. For a Green Bay offense that leans on him for the deep shots, that kind of production is hard to replace.
What we know, what we don't, and how the game ended
What's known: Watson was hurt on the catch, taken to a hospital as a precaution, and cleared to return the same night. What isn't known from the reporting so far is any further diagnosis beyond precautionary, or whether he needs more testing before Green Bay's next game. The Denver trip last December didn't cost him a game, and this one didn't keep him out of this one either.
Green Bay beat Carolina 27-19, with Jordan Love throwing three touchdown passes. The Packers didn't get through the night fully healthy elsewhere either. Tight end Josh Whyle was ruled out after sustaining a concussion.
Facts per ESPN, ESPN box score. Opinion is the taproom's.