There were worrying scenes at Thursday Night Football at Lambeau Field. Christian Watson was injured in the second quarter after making a spectacular 53-yard catch. On the ensuing tackle, two Panthers defenders landed on the receiver, who also hit the ground hard on the football.

Watson was initially able to leave the field under his own power, but he was having trouble breathing. He later said he even spit up blood on the sideline.

The Packers’ medical staff reacted immediately and sent the receiver by ambulance to a nearby hospital as a precaution.

Christian Watson returns despite broken rib

At the hospital, Watson underwent a CT scan. Doctors found a broken rib but were able to rule out internal bleeding.

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After being medically cleared, Watson headed straight back to Lambeau Field. The 27-year-old returned to the stadium during the third quarter in the same ambulance that had taken him to the hospital.

The fans erupted when Watson suddenly ran out of the players’ tunnel. Wearing extra padding around his ribs, he was back on the field with 4:01 left in the third quarter.

“It was super dramatic,” Watson said after the game. The cameras filming his return reminded him of his childhood, when he watched WWE wrestling shows.

Quarterback Jordan Love could hardly believe what he was seeing, either. He said he suddenly saw Watson run out of the tunnel as if he had come back to life.

The receiver had already caught six passes for 100 yards before his injury. He added two more receptions after returning.

With eight catches for 113 yards, Watson set a career high in receptions and led the Packers in receiving yards.

Packers beat Panthers 27-19

Green Bay had a successful night on the field, too. The Packers beat Carolina 27-19 to improve their record to 5-3.

Quarterback Jordan Love impressed with 288 passing yards and three touchdown passes. His targets Tucker Kraft, Matthew Golden and Josh Jacobs each scored a receiving touchdown.

Jacobs also ran for a touchdown.

Green Bay led by as many as 27-10 before Carolina threatened to make it close in the fourth quarter. A touchdown pass from Bryce Young to Jalen Coker cut the deficit to eight points.

The Packers’ defense held, though. Young was sacked six times and threw an interception.

The night ended much better for Watson than it had first seemed it might. Despite his trip to the hospital, he played through the end of the game and even helped his team manage the clock with an important catch.

It remains to be seen whether the broken rib will affect his availability in Week 9. The Packers will face the New England Patriots.