Packers beat Panthers as Green Bay’s Christian Watson returns after mid-game hospital visit

Carolina Panthers 19-27 Green Bay Packers

Packers WR has 113 receiving yards despite injury

Jordan Love threw three touchdown passes, Josh Jacobs scored twice and the Green Bay Packers withstood three turnovers to beat the Carolina Panthers 27-19 on Thursday night.

Love went 30 of 41 for 288 yards with touchdown passes to Tucker Kraft, Matthew Golden and Jacobs plus an interception. Although he rushed for only 39 yards on 21 carries against the NFL’s lowest-ranked run defense, Jacobs scored on a four-yard catch and one-yard run for the Packers (5-3).

After trailing 27-10 in the third quarter, Carolina cut Green Bay’s lead to 27-19 on Bryce Young’s 26-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Coker on a fourth-and-three play with 5:37 remaining. Young’s ensuing two-point conversion pass was incomplete.

The Panthers (3-4) got the ball back at their own 45 before losing the ball on downs at midfield with 2:41 remaining. Carolina got one last chance from their own 20 with 22 seconds and no timeouts remaining, but Dani Dennis-Sutton’s sack essentially ended any comeback hopes.

Young went 23 of 31 for 209 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Carolina’s Chuba Hubbard had 22 carries for 81 yards and a touchdown and seven catches for 38 yards.

Green Bay’s Christian Watson was involved in a remarkable sequence of events. He hurt his chest making a 53-yard catch in the second quarter. The Packers feared he may have sustained a serious injury, and he was taken to a local hospital. However, after being passed fit by doctors, he returned late in ​the ​third quarter, then caught ​a six-yard pass on the ​opening play of ‌the fourth. He finished as the game’s top receiver with 113 yards on eight receptions.

“I never wanted to go [to hospital], I was hoping they’d let me off,” Watson said after the game. “They said there were a couple of signs that made them want to take me over there, so I was just praying it was good enough that I could come back out here. Luckily it was … I’m happy to be out here on a football field. There was no internal bleeding [nothing] that was raising suspicion. I cleared everything and I was able to get back out.”

Watson said he had been able to follow the game while he was in hospital. “One of the doctors had his phone out, so I was watching the play-by-play,” he said.

Carolina cornerback Will Lee hurt his hamstring while diving to make a tackle on the same play in which Watson was injured, and he was carted into the locker room. Carolina already have three other cornerbacks on injured reserve: Akayleb Evans (triceps/knee), Mike Jackson (groin) and Jaycee Horn (quadriceps).

There was a warm welcome for another Wisconsin team on Thursday night. Several members of the Milwaukee Brewers, including team captain Christian Yelich and Cy Young Award favorite Jacob Misiorowski, received a huge ovation as they arrived Lambeau Field one night after winning the first World Series title in franchise history.

Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff held the Commissioner’s Trophy aloft as he emerged from the tunnel during a timeout before the second quarter. A few of the players attempted a Lambeau Leap into the crowd, with outfielder Sal Frelick having the most success.

Those Brewers players later were shown on the video board cheering as they wore cheeseheads that included the message, “2026 WS Champions.”