GREEN BAY, Wis. — Jordan Love threw three touchdown passes and piled up 288 yards on Thursday night as the Packers opened Week 8 of the NFL season with a 27-19 home win over Carolina.
The bigger story of the night was receiver Christian Watson. He was hurt on a 53-yard catch early in the second quarter, walked to the medical tent and then left the stadium in an ambulance with what the team called a chest injury. A CT scan showed a fractured rib, but tests found no internal bleeding, and doctors cleared him to play.
Watson rode back to Lambeau around halftime and went back in with 4:01 left in the third quarter and Green Bay up 27-13. He caught two more balls after his return, including a third-down conversion late that helped close out the win, and finished with eight catches for 113 yards.
That pushes his season to 42 receptions for 708 yards and six touchdowns, already a career high in yardage just eight games into his fifth year.
Carolina cornerback Will Lee III was also hurt on the Watson play. He was carted off with a hamstring injury and did not return.
Green Bay sacked Carolina quarterback Bryce Young six times and picked him off once, handing the Panthers a second straight loss. Carolina still lead the NFC South and own the tiebreaker over Atlanta from their Week 2 win.
The night also doubled as a party for Wisconsin baseball fans. Two days after the Milwaukee Brewers won their first World Series, pitcher Brandon Woodruff carried the Commissioner’s Trophy onto the field after the first quarter, joined by Christian Yelich and Sal Frelick.
Next up, the Packers meet New England on Nov. 8. Carolina goes home to face the Broncos the following weekend.
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