Watson Returns From Hospital After Breaking Rib in Thursday Night Scare

Green Bay's Thursday night win over Carolina produced one of the season's most alarming injury scenes — and then one of its most remarkable recoveries. Packers wide receiver Christian Watson left the game in the second quarter after completing a 53-yard catch, landing hard on the ball with a defender on top of him. He was listed as questionable with a chest injury, then transported to a local hospital by ambulance for evaluation. The broadcast soon brought better news: his hospital tests were clear, and he was on his way back to Lambeau Field. Watson returned during the third quarter to a huge ovation, extra padding on his sides, and was even targeted on his first play back. After the game he revealed the full extent of the scare, saying he had been coughing up blood and had broken a rib, but that everything else checked out fine. Head coach Matt LaFleur called the return pretty remarkable, explaining that Watson landed on the ball and that doctors had wanted a CT scan to rule out anything more serious. Watson finished with eight catches for a team-leading 113 yards as Green Bay improved to 5-3 ahead of a Week 9 trip to New England. It was a familiar fright — he suffered a similar injury against Denver in Week 15 last season — but this time, thankfully, the ending was a happy one.