Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson acknowledged he "never wanted to go" to the hospital after being injured during his team's Week 8 "Thursday Night Football" win over the Carolina Panthers.
Watson noted that having to leave the stadium via ambulance was difficult during a postgame interview with Amazon Prime Video's sideline reporter Kaylee Hartung.
"It was tough. Honestly, I never wanted to go," Watson said. "I was hoping that they would let me off. I said I was kinda feeling better once I kinda caught my breath. But I mean they said there was a couple of signs that made them have to take me over there."
"It is what it is," he added. "I was just praying that it was good enough to where I could come back out here. Obviously, thankfully
it was and I was able to get back out."
Watson was originally injured after catching a 53-yard deep pass from Jordan Love in the second quarter of the game. He landed hard on the ball as he came to the ground and remained down, rolling onto his back before being tended to by Green Bay's training staff.
Watson was eventually able to walk off the field under his own power and received further evaluation in the blue medical tent. He then walked to the locker room before boarding an ambulance, again under his own strength, to undergo "precautionary testing" at a local hospital.
Many presumed Watson wouldn't be able to return to action after heading to the hospital. However, the doctors who evaluated him cleared Watson, as he explained to Hartung after the game.
"No internal bleeding. No anything that was raising suspicion," Watson said when describing what the tests had revealed. "Because I was spitting a little blood at first, so they just wanted to make sure there was nothing crazy."
Those results allowed Watson not only to return to Lambeau Field, but also to take the field in the second half. He arrived back at the stadium via ambulance early in the second half and came running out of the locker room midway through the third quarter.
Watson was met with cheers from the fans on hand for the game, a gesture that he greatly appreciated.
"It was surreal running out and just hearing the fans having my back like that," Watson said. "It's tough any time that you have to go off the field or you think you're injured or you're going down with something. So, just to come back out here and get that kind of response from the fans was incredible."
Watson checked back into the game and was immediately targeted by Jordan Love on his first snap back. He couldn't reel in that target amid double coverage, but he logged two second-half receptions after returning to the field.
Watson was grateful both to return to the field and to avoid significant injury during the Packers' 27-19 victory.
"I'm trying to be on the football field. That's first and foremost for me," Watson said. "Thankfully, I was able to get back out there."
“One of the doctors had his phone out, I was just watching the play-by-play.”
— NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) October 30, 2026
From a hospital visit to returning to Lambeau, Christian Watson joined @KayleeHartung to talk through his eventful night on #TNFonPrime pic.twitter.com/tqSchWtbgT
And the 27-year-old expressed confidence he will be able to heal up during the Packers' mini-bye and be able to play in their next game against the New England Patriots in Week 9.
"I'm feeling good," Watson said. "I've got a little pads on the ribs to make sure to take care of that over the extra little break we've got before our next game, and we'll be good to go next week."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Packers' Christian Watson describes 'tough' hospital trip: 'I never wanted to go'
