Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson had a dramatic game against the Carolina Panthers after getting injured while making a 53-yard catch in the second quarter. He was rushed to the hospital by ambulance but made his return in the third quarter. Watson, who was having trouble breathing, later revealed that he was coughing up blood on the sideline before he was transported to the hospital.

After the details of Watson’s dramatic return to the game against the Panthers were revealed, analyst Mike Florio slammed the league for allowing the wide receiver to continue playing in his condition.

Analyst Slams NFL for Christian Watson Decision

During Friday’s segment of the “PFT Live” show, Florio was aghast at the Packers’ and the NFL’s negligence in allowing Watson to return to the game.

“Oh wait, he broke a rib and he was spitting up blood and he came back and played in the game? Are you [expletive] kidding me?”Florio asked. “After what we just saw and the [expletive] the NFL is dealing with Jalen Hurts, they took this guy to the hospital because he was spitting up blood and had a broken rib. They took him to a hospital to make sure it was not something really serious.

“And they said, ‘Alright, it’s not that thing that could be really serious, go back and play more football after you’ve been spitting up blood with a broken rib. Go ahead, you’re good to go.’ Is this real life? Is this A.I.? Am I in a matrix here? It makes no sense after what they went through with Jalen Hurts, that they would let Christian Watson go back into that game.”

Watson was heavily cheered by the Packers fans at Lambeau Field when he returned from the hospital and re-entered the game wearing extra padding to protect his ribs.

The wide receiver re-entered the game with 4:01 remaining in the third quarter and was immediately targeted on the first play by quarterback Jordan Love. The play ended with Panthers safety Nick Scott swatting away the ball and cornerback Marco Wilson landing on Watson’s chest.

During an on-field interview with Prime after the 27-19 Week 8 win over the Panthers, Watson revealed that he was forced to go to the hospital and that he continued watching the game on a doctor’s phone there.

“I was spitting a little blood [on the sideline] at first, so they just wanted to make sure there was nothing crazy,” Watson said. “I cleared everything and was able to get back out.”

Watson is in the midst of the most productive season of his career, having already set career highs with 42 receptions and 708 receiving yards through eight games.

His six receiving touchdowns are one shy of the career-best seven he scored as a rookie in 2022. The Packers star has also earned a PFN Wide Receiver Impact score of 84.9 (No. 8 in the NFL).